National junior triathlete standout Llori Sharpe had strong words of encouragement for her peers at St Andrew High School for Girls as Malta on Thursday hosted a midmorning event to hand over $50,000 to aid the school’s sports programme.

Sharpe, who herself is a student athlete, urged her peers both at the Cecelio Avenue-based school and across Jamaica at large, to strike a balance in applying the principles of good sportsmanship to their academic pursuits.

The sixth form student started her career in aquatics, but later combined that with her cycling and track prowess to transition to triathlon, where she has now honed her skill as one of the top athletes on the local scene.

Sharpe, who has also showcased her talent at regional and international events, was given the platform on Thursday to share some of the lessons learnt during her exploits.

In 2017, the 18-year-old became the youngest Jamaican triathlete to participate in the Commonwealth Games and her other accolades include being Jamaica’s first medallist in the Caribbean Junior Cycling Championships.

“Sport is similar to school -work, they both involve hard work, determination, commitment, and a little more hard work,” said Sharpe in a pep talk to her schoolmates prior to exams.

“I have found that the most important benefit of setting goals, surprisingly, isn’t achieving your goals, it is the person you become in order to achieve them, and that’s the real benefit.

“To succeed in any sphere of life, whether as a student or as a student-athlete, one must be both physically and mentally strong. This means that you should be motivated and possess great work ethic. Pretty much any personal goal requires sacrifice, dedication, and hard work,” she continued.

Sharpe emphasised the importance of being patient with the process, an area in which she acknowledges that many young people struggle, as they aim to achieve their goals.

“I could not deliver a speech in this fashion two years ago, but I have now acquired enough confidence to speak publicly,” she noted.

Sharpe, who in 2017 copped the VMBS Young Outstanding Upcoming Talented Headliner (YOUTH) award, successes extends beyond the sporting arena.

With nine distinctions at the CSEC level and five in CAPE Unit One exams, she has done extremely well academically.

Sharpe also serves as a senior prefect and member of the Debating Society, making her the epitome of a well-rounded student-athlete and the darling of both her peers and school administrators.

This was confirmed by Jennifer Brown, head of the Sports Department at St Andrew High School for Girls.

“The first order of business here at St Andrew High is academic excellence, that is our hallmark. We need to facilitate students by encouraging them to do well and ensuring that we hold them to a high standard. Llori takes her school work seriously and that is something the younger athletes’ model after,” said Brown.

Expressing great pride with Sharpe’s achievement, Brown also lauded Malta for its support of the school’s sports programme. The $50,000 donation will go towards providing food for the girls during Track and Field camp scheduled for the Christmas holiday break.

Meanwhile, Ellisse Campbell, assistant brand manager for Stouts and Malta pointed out that the move was a no brainer.

“Malta has always been a brand that supports the youth of this country; we have created so many opportunities to give back to schools who have poured into our most successful youths.

“Our team has admired Llori since 2017 when her bicycle was stolen yet she managed to show so much resilience. We were able to donate a replacement and are so happy to witness her scholastic and athletic achievements since then,” Campbell reasoned.