Bolt’s mentor for Western Relays honour

BY PAUL A REID Observer Writer

Sunday, February 05, 2012

MONTEGO BAY, St James -- Lorna Thorpe, one of the persons who is credited with mentoring a young Usain Bolt when he started his track career at William Knibb High, will be the patron at next Saturday's 34th staging if the Milo Western Relays at the Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Thorpe, who is entering her 33rd year at the Martha Brae-based institution, said she was "humbled" to be recognised in this manner as when she got involved in sports and teaching her ambitions were never for reward.

Along with Thorpe, World Youth Championships gold medalists Odail Todd and Chanice Porter will both be recognised at the meet as well.

Green Island High's Todd who won the gold in the 100m and silver in the 200m in Lille, France last year and Porter, the Manchester High student who won gold in the long jump and bronze in the high jump, will be recognised for their outstanding 2011 seasons as juniors.

All three will be recognised with plaques at the meet.

In an interview, Thorpe told the Sunday Observer she had attended every staging of the meet that evolved to be the Western Relays since its inception in 1978 by Glen Brown, the then sports master at Cornwall College.

"Back then, there were not many meets where seniors, or even those at the Primary school level, could participate and so this meet was very attractive for us," she said.

"We had Western Champs, but that was for high school athletes and so the others were left out. This was their chance, their mini Olympics," she pointed out.

Despite her links to Bolt, the double world record-holder and world and Olympic champion, Thorpe pointed to a number of other athletes who have come through Williams Knibb and even some who did not, but benefited from her largess.

IAAF World Championships representative Mario Forysthe was one of those from outside the William Knibb family who benefited, she said.

"Forsythe did not attend William Knibb, but when the programme at Muschett was not so hot, he would come here in the days, stay in the PE office until school was out, then he would join the team in training."

Olympian Michael Green; two-time World Championships representative Marvin Anderson; Commonwealth Games and Pan-Am 100m champion Lerone Clarke, and World University Games and Pan-Am Games 200m medalist Jason Young are some of the more renowned athletes who were students at William Knibb during her tenure.

But she also pointed to the less well known individuals -- such as Bernard 'Bobby' Scarlett -- who were the early beneficiaries.

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Bolt’s mentor for Western Relays honour