MARVIN ANDERSON

Gleaner Honour Award Winner for Sports

OUTSTANDING ATHLETE. Team player. Student. Champion. You have been dubbed a 'real late bloomer' in some track and field circles, but that shy smile and quiet reserve are deceptive qualities as your competitors are quick to find out as they stare at your spikes as you race away from them.

Today, you are being honoured not only for the magnificient performances at the 2001 Victoria Mutual/ISSA Boys Championships where you won the Class I sprint double but for the brilliance and incredible spirit you showed in anchoring the 4 x 100 metre and the 4 x 400 metre teams to unexpected victories when all seemed lost.

We commend you Marvin Anderson, a native of Trelawny, who in just your third season of serious track and field, mesmerised spectators at the National Stadium with a performance that will be lauded and talked about for decades to come by those who were fortunate to be at the National Stadium on Saturday, April 7, 2001 ­ a date that that will burn bright in the annals of local sports history forever.

We salute you for your meteoric rise through the track and field ranks, even overcoming the loss of your beloved mother in the Summer of 2000 to breast cancer and weathering disappointments at that year's Carifta Trials. You have fashioned success out of adversity.

We recognise the value of your journey as only three years ago, you were just an obscure defender on the William Knibb Memorial High daCosta Cup football team. Now you are one of the island's brightest track and field prospects and preparing to take up a scholarship to the University of Southern California.

One can only wonder what must have been going through your mind as you prepared to take part in the 4x100 metres final in which your team was drawn a disadvantageous lane eight. And one would not dare to hazard a guess at the unbridled joy that coursed through your veins when you managed to pip the Calabar team on the line for the gold medal.

Only an hour later, you took part in the 4x400 metres when after receiving the baton in fourth position, your trademark long, easy strides gobbled up the leaders to win the final event after which you were mobbed by your coach and teammates.

We salute you, Marvin Anderson for your academic achievements as you were able to earn passes in seven subjects at the local Caribbean Examinations Council exams. This is especially commendable in a time when athletes too often do not put an onus on educational achievements.

Sir, we salute you for your determination and excellence. We hail your brilliance on the track, and we acknowledge the tremendousresponsibility you carry as you continue to represent the name of Jamaica in the world of track and field.

For these reasons, we present you with pleasure, the 2001 Gleaner Honour Award of Excellence.