The Invictus Sports Academy’s Invictus Reggae Classic Track & Field Meet on the 9th and 10th June 2017 at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex, will feature two mouth-watering middle distance clashes as the feature events at the Meet.

Cayman Island’s Dominic Dyer will defend National pride and honor when he laces up his spikes to take on the two top middle distance schoolboys from neighboring Jamaica.

Dyer the reigning Carifta Under 20 Boys 5000m Champion has stood heads and shoulders over all competitors for the past five years in local middle-distance track races, earning him the nickname “the Dominator”. His record in the Carifta Games exemplifies his development in the middle-distance events. He made his debut in 2014 in the Under 18 Division where he ran creditably but failed to medal. In the 2015 rendition of the Games he opened up with a 5th place finish in the 1500m but thoroughly impressed and won the hearts of the spectators in St Kitts when he battled a pair of Jamaicans over 3000m and came away with the Bronze medals. The Jamaicans may have won the top medals but Dyer came away with the hearts of the crowd. In 2016, he would renew his battle with the Jamaicans and in a show of grit and determination, features of his running style, he won the Bronze medal in the 1500m but bettered his 3000m finish from the year before when he upgraded his medal color to Silver. At this year’s Championships in Curaceo, after placing third in the 1500m, he turned the tables on the Jamaicans and the entire Caribbean when he trounced the field with a brilliant display of middle- distance running on the way to winning the coveted Gold medal in the 5000m.

He will continue his preparation for this year’s Island Games by renewing his jousting with athletes out of Jamaica at the Invictus Reggae Classic Track & Field Meet in the personage of the Kingston College’s Champs duo of Shane Buchanan and Rodgers Aryamanya.

Buchanan, the co-captain of his Schools Champs team, has represented his school since 2012 and has amassed an impressive array of medals and awards along the way. He twice represented his country at the Carifta Games where he won a Silver medal in the 3000m in 2014 and had a similar medal in 2016 in the 5000m. At this year’s Champs, he crowned himself in glory when he blitzed the field in winning the 2000m steeplechase event. He would later return at those Championships and team up with Rodgers in a memorable 1-2 finish over the 5000m distance.
Ugandan-born Rodgers Aryamanya endured a harrowing trip from his homeland to attend the vaunted purple and white brigade at North Street, Kingston. Following an impressively brilliant season he was the odds-on favorite to win both the 1500m and 5000m events at Champs. He however had to settle for second in the 1500m as he succumbed to the brilliant team tactics of the athletes from arch-rivals Calabar High. He would put that disappointing result behind him with an enthralling 5000m run in which he left all in his wake, including teammate Buchanan, who finished a distant second.

The races may be centered around these three athletes but they will do well to not ignore the running of 345AC’s trio of Will Edwards (a two-time National Youth representative), Victor “Take No Prisoners” Maghaeles and Sherlock Brooks.

The 1500m Open is scheduled to close the day’s competition on the 9th June and the 3000m is slated to do likewise on the 10th June. Both races could see new record times being registered in the Cayman Islands. The public is encouraged to come out and give vocal and moral support to the local athletes.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate and will also be available from Members of the Club. Tickets will be CI$15.00 for those patrons wishing to enter the raffle and CI$10.00 for those who do not want to take part in the raffle. There will be no entry fee for children Under 12. Part proceeds of the entry fee will go Special Olympics Cayman Islands, with whom the Club has partnered.

Sponsors of the Meet are Red Sails Sports, Saxon Insurance, RVC Rehab Services, Beyond Basics, CTMH-Doctors Hospital, Savannah Medical Clinic, No. 1 Shoe Shop, Murray & Westerborg, Aviation Communications Ltd, Errol Kellyman and Anthony Lawson.

The Meet is under the Distinguished Patronage of His Excellency the Deputy Governor of the Cayman Islands, Mr. Franz Manderson.