CARIFTA GAMES triple jump champion Alain Bailey has signed with Arkansas track and field programme for the 2006-2007 school year.
Bailey, who won triple gold in the high, triple and long jumps at Champs, is seen as a big catch for the Razorbacks.
"It's a huge signing for us," Arkansas head coach John McDonnell said. "He can do it all. He can long and triple jump and be on the 4x100-metre relays because he has that kind of speed. With him as an addition to our young jumpers I think we'll be back to where we used to be in the jumps."
The Kingston College (KC) final year student, who was voted the most outstanding high school athlete after he won all three events at the National High School Championships, has personal best distances of 7.51m (long jump), 15.47 (triple jump) and 2.10m (high jump).
Bailey, who also visited Louisiana State University (LSU), listed the reason for choosing Arkansas, the school of Jamaica's double Olympic gold medallist Veronica Campbell, sprinter Omar Brown and sprint hurdler Kasia Williams and 800m runner Kenia Sinclair.
He said: "They have a very high graduation rate for student-athletes. Also, I think they are a better track school because they have won 41 out of 63 NCAA championships," he continued.
WILL BE STUDYING MARKETING
The 18-year-old Bailey, who will be studying marketing, also said:
"The coach (Dick Booth) recruited approximately all the record holders in college and was the U.S. jumps coach at the 2000 Olympics. He also had five representatives that made the Olympic finals that year," added the 2002 Carifta Games Under-17 high and long jumps champion.
Booth is also glad to have Bailey on board.
"Alain Bailey is a positive addition to our programme in every way," the Arkansas field events coach said of the KC lower sixth former who has six CXC passes.
"He has the best long jump of any signee we've ever had and I'm excited because he's also academically motivated," Booth said of the four-time Carifta representative.
