BY HURBUN WILLIAMS

Observer writer

SHOT putter O’Dayne Richards and 400-metre hurdler Kaliese Spencer were named Jamaica Athletic Administrative Association (JAAA) Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

The announcement was made at the JAAA/Scotiabank Golden Cleats Award ceremony at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel, in Kingston, on Friday night.

Richards, a 25-year-old who trains with the MVP Track and Field Club, created local history by becoming Jamaica’s first gold medallist at the sport when he hurtled the metal ball 21.61 metres through the air at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games for a Games and National record.

While Richards was a surprise selection, his clubmate Spencer’s was not. This followed the 27-year-old Westmoreland native’s favourable exploits on the track and who easily was ahead of the other nominees following a dazzling season where she won three major titles.

Spencer won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and at the Continental Cup. She also won the 400-metres hurdles Diamond for the 2014 Diamond League.

The MVP Track and Field Club made a clean sweep of the evening’s major awards as it garnered all three awards that were on offer when coach Stephen Francis was named Coach of the Year. It was the second time Francis won the coveted honour following his initial success in 2006.

Spencer was gracious in copping the award. “First, I must say that I am very honoured. We are a nation full of great athletes and very competitive and to be the recipient of this year’s award I am very grateful.

“This is just a stepping stone. I am happy that last season was a great one and this just motivates me to train harder, and hopefully 2015 will be a much better season,” Spencer said.

Spencer admitted that she did not think it was a foregone conclusion that she would have won the award as all the other nominees had done well in their own rights.

“Not really, they all did well. I went out there and did my best (and) they too also gave of their best. We had Novelene and Stephanie, who all did well, but I came out victorious and I am happy about that, (especially) being my first award (and) I am very happy about that,” Spencer beamed.

Richards was humbled by the recognition. “I feel very good. I have to give God thanks for the opportunity to be here and am grateful and honoured to be among the nominees,” he said.

Responding to the question of whether or not he was surprised at winning the Award, Richards said: “Yes. I really thought that Rasheed (Dwyer) would have got it. It was a joy to see him go below 20 seconds and to me I thought he deserved this one.”

Wolmer’s Boys’ Jaheel Hyde, the 2014 World Junior champion in the 400-metre hurdles and the 2013 World Youth champion in the 110- metre hurdles, was the Howard Aris Scholarship recipient on the night.