MORANT BAY, St Thomas — For young athletes from Morant Bay High School (MBHS) who dream of sporting glory, a chance to welcome home freshly minted Olympic gold medallist Hansle Parchment has made them even more determined to shine.

“[His visit] will definitely motivate me to do well this season. I want to go all out in long jump, and with a past student doing so well it is going to give me a whole bunch of motivation to do my very best,” said fifth form student Roemar Bryan. “I’m very thankful for him coming here, taking pictures, talking to us, and motivating us. We are very thankful for that.”

Parchment was feted during a ceremony on Monday hosted by staff of his alma mater and the alumni association. It was a celebration of his excellent performance at the just-concluded Tokyo Olympics where he took gold in the 110m hurdles in one of the biggest upsets of the Games.

Petagay Julius, who captains the MBHS girls’ track and field team and runs the 100m hurdles, was especially pleased to be among the group that had a chance to show their appreciation to Parchment.

“Hansle coming to celebrate his gold medal that he obtained is such a great feeling. As a hurdler, I am so proud that [there’s] an Olympian from Morant Bay High School. [It] inspires me to train harder and to go harder because there is success out there,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Held on the school grounds after a brief drive through the community, the ceremony was attended by award-winning journalist and member of the alumni association Dionne Jackson Miller who hosted the event; Olympian and Member of Parliament Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, who is also a past student; Member of Parliament for St Thomas Eastern Dr Michelle Charles; representatives from Parchment’s long-time sponsors Grace Foods, along with other members of the alumni association, student body and staff.

“I feel so elated to know that Hansle is a past student of this great institution. We are very excited to have an Olympic gold medallist in our presence,” said excited fifth former Kandean Harris. “His achievement is also encouraging us to do our best.”

During the celebration, Parchment interacted with her and other student athletes in an effort to encourage and motivate them.

“Hansle coming here is very surreal, because when I look in the record book and I see his name for the 110m hurdles record it feels great,” said Domonick Drysdale. “While he was here I asked him how it feels to be successful and he said that it is surreal for him as well. Knowing that he was not successful in high school but is successful now, it motivates me to continue to do well.”

It is said that Parchment’s early track and field days at MBHS gave no clear sign of the success that was to come. He surmounted mammoth challenges to succeed and now wants to use his story to motivate student athletes to continue working hard because better days are ahead.

“As a coach I know the stressors and challenges that come with being an athlete, and to finally get one right is a great feeling,” said MBHS track team coach Andre Anderson, who is also a past student.

“I am extremely elated to be a part of Hansle’s celebration. I am so happy that [he] took the time out to be here. His presence acts as a source of motivation for the athletes at Morant Bay High School. Hansle is a perfect example to our students that they can stay here [and] develop and then move on to greater things. It is a wonderful feeling and I applaud him for coming back to his roots and showing everyone that it can be done,” Anderson said.