AS St Catherine walked away with the 2025 title of champion parish at the 40th staging of the JTA/Sagicor National Athletics Championship, some of its success is credited to 12-year-old Ashumor Morrison, who secured 18 points at the end of the two-day event. But behind the medals and photo finishes is the story of a humble young athlete from east Portmore with a deep drive, a supportive community, and a vision far bigger than the winner’s podium.

“I was very nervous,” Morrison admitted, recalling the moment he stepped up to the starting line at the National Stadium. “But I felt grateful [for] representing my parish. From the first race, I knew I was going to get it for Under-13.” And he did.

At the championship, he ran in the boys’ 200m under-13 heats and final, clocking 26.31 seconds and 25.97 seconds, respectively. He also ran in the boys’ 400m under-13 heats, with a time of 59.59 seconds, later surpassing this with a time of 59.42 in the finals. He confidently claimed first place in all four races.

He was awarded the Champion Boy title, which he shared with two other boys who also scored 18 points, including his St Catherine teammate Kellan Harris, and Kahneil Walford of St Thomas, marking the beginning of what he hopes is a long and storied athletic career.

Shifting gears

Morrison shared that he has been running competitively since grade five, but it wasn’t until this year, grade six, that he began training with intent. “I used to be more into football, but then I saw I had the potential to run. I started thinking, ‘you can go to the Olympics, you can get more support, more opportunities’,” he said.

And with that mindset, Morrison started taking the sport seriously. He went to the gym, trained and ran with purpose.

“He has been working very hard with his coaches since January,” said his mother, Ashura Morrison. “I know he wanted to achieve this from Primary Champs. It has been an uphill battle, but I knew he was going to get it.”

Ashumor’s father, Peter, is the main force behind his training, always encouraging him.

“He has been there for me, pushing me to his level, to be at this stage right now,” Morrison said. “I also thank my coach, Mr Jerome Watt.”

Balancing athletics with books

Morrison is not only maturing into a young, standout athlete, but he also has a strong sense of balance, maintaining excellent grades for a backup career in finance.

“I’ve been maintaining a balance, studying for my PEP exam, because I know it’s not only sports that can put you ahead in life; you need an education. I will follow through with my education because while I want to run for my country and represent Jamaica as a good athlete, if I’m ever injured in sports, I can get a job as a bank teller or in sports management,” he reasoned.

Ashumor Morrison races towards bright future in Jamaican athletics, along with the two other Champion Boys and this year’s Champion Girl, will receive a full secondary school scholarship, courtesy of Sagicor Foundation.