MANY athletes have left a legacy with their performances at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships (Champs), and Anneisha McLaughlin-Whilby and Daniel England are humbled to be two of the many to have made a significant impact.

McLaughlin-Whilby, a former Holmwood Technical athlete, and England, formerly of Calabar High, were each presented with the first GraceKennedy Money Services/Western Union (GKMS/WU) Icon awards during Champs at the National Stadium yesterday.

McLaughlin-Whilby’s dominance in the early 2000s spanned across all classes in the 100m, 200m and 400m, winning gold medals and setting records including the Class Three 400m record of 52.52 seconds which has stood for 23 years.

The mother of twins who led Holmwood to three Girls’ Champs titles told the Jamaica Observer that she was shocked but grateful to be regarded as an icon.

“I’m very honoured and very surprised because I didn’t come with the intention of being named [an icon],” she said. “But, it’s an honour and it’s a blessing to be recognised at this year’s Champs.

“[Recently,] I stumbled upon some scrapbooks with some clippings from my time in high school and I was just reminiscing, showing my daughters my pictures, and they pointed out their mommy, but it was good times.”

Like McLaughlin-Whilby, England showed his prowess in the 200m and 400m in the late 1980s, winning several titles and suffering defeat only once.

Though surprised at being named an icon he says his work spoke for itself.

“Definitely, it was a lot of work — I was not a one-hit wonder at Champs,” he said. “Every year I came back and tried to perform the same, keep the standard high, so to receive this is a joy and a privilege just to even be considered for this distinguished award.

“What I did back in the day was something that came natural for me. I knew I was a good athlete. I had a great coach so running track wasn’t hard because I loved doing it. Performing back in the days, it was easy for me but at the time I didn’t consider it would reach this magnitude.”

Within the last two decades several athletes have aimed to achieve what McLaughlin-Whilby did at Champs. It’s something she doesn’t take for granted.

“There was always inspiration for me so I’m happy that I’m able to do the same for someone else coming up,” she said. “I looked up to people like Veronica Campbell Brown when I was in high school and I feel good to know that I’m [now] an inspiration to young girls coming up.”

The former World Under-20 champion went on to have a successful senior career which included an Olympic silver medal.

She’s urging high school athletes to invest their effort in the sport if they want maximum results.

“You have to enjoy what you’re doing,” she said. “Track and field is a sport that takes a lot, and if you don’t have that internal drive, if you’re not intrinsically motivated, I don’t think you can achieve as much as you can or to your full potential so just enjoy it. It’s a sport that requires a lot of consistency; work hard and listen to the instructions of your support team and coaches.”

Former World Under-20 bronze medallist, England, who helped Calabar win three Boys’ Champs titles, echoed those sentiments.

“First of all, stay away from the opinions of others,” he said. “You’re here to do great things. Not everyone can do what you can do so do the best you can do, and that can take you further. Stay disciplined, stay consistent, and be yourself because that’s your identity and no one can take that away from you. Ignore the noise, stay dedicated, and obviously, do the hard work.”