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Olympian Lawrence inspires schoolgirl thrower

Published:Wednesday | February 23, 2022 | 4:55 AMHubert Lawrence/Gleaner Writer
Shadae Lawrence competing in the women’s discus throw finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Lawrence placed seventh with a best of 62.12 metres.
Gladstone Taylor
Shadae Lawrence competing in the women’s discus throw finals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Lawrence placed seventh with a best of 62.12 metres.

EDWIN ALLEN High School discus thrower Damali Williams has a role model of Olympic calibre.

The slim 18-year-old admires the approach and achievements of Shadae Lawrence and hopes one day to match Lawrence’s 2021 achievement of throwing in a global final.

On Saturday, she produced a personal best of 48.51 metres in the class I discus at the JAAA Development at the G.C. Foster College for Physical Education and Sport.

“It’s my second time throwing the discus this season, so it’s a great feeling to know I came out here and had a personal best,” she reflected afterwards.

Williams banged that mark in the first round and got 46.96 metres in the third round as confirmation.

Last year she managed 47.34.

Lawrence’s name is plastered all over the all-time Jamaica discus list. She has the national record of 67.05 metres, an NCAA title and in Tokyo last year, she put Jamaica in an Olympic women’s discus final for the first time and placed 7th. Williams wants to follow in her footsteps.

“It is actually in my dreams because I admire her a lot,” the youngster said at G.C. Foster.

ADMIRATIONS

Asked to pinpoint why she admires Lawrence, Williams listed, “her dedication, her hard work and also her drive to succeed”.

Lawrence won the class I discus for Hydel High at Boys and Girls’ Championships in 2014 and 2015 and Williams faces a long-time rival on her road to repeating the feat. Holmwood’s Cedricka Williams finished ahead of her in class III in 2019 and again in class II last year.

With her heroine and her namesake on her radar, the Edwin Allen throws ace is devoted to the necessary work.

“I’m going to train even harder because I came out here, got a PB and I just want to keep working harder and to achieve more,” she promised.

With Champs set for April, she expects to taper her training load as it approaches.

“You have to like reduce the volume to keep it on a basis so you can go out there, so I’m just working through the motions, still working hard to go out there and do my best,” said the young lady coached by Demar Gayle, who won the boys’ class I discus and shot for Edwin Allen in 2015.

If she succeeds, she will join the likes of Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Tarasue Barnett as Edwin Allen winners of the event at Championships. Additionally, she would be the first from the Frankfield school to win since Fiona Richards in 2017.

Elsewhere on the same day, Lawrence threw a winning distance of 62.56 metres at the JAAA Jubilee meet inside the National Stadium. Williams of Holmwood placed third with a fine mark of 53.38 metres.

Also in the class I discus picture is Britannia Johnson of Camperdown High School who won at a JAAA Development meet at the Stadium earlier in the day with distances of 48.65 and 48.18 metres.