Hawthorne ‘very appreciative’ of JATAFCA Lifetime Award

Veteran track and field coach Danny Hawthorne is very humble after being among 15 coaches honoured last Saturday night at Alhambra Inn in Kingston by the Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association (JATAFCA) for long service to the sport.

Held under the theme, 'Sustainability of Athletics Through the Development of Sports', the association selected Hawthorne -- who has been coaching for the past 40 years -- as one of three coaches to receive the Lifetime Award.

The other recipients were Leo Brown and Rohan Oliver.

"I am humble and blessed for this recognition, knowing that your hard work is being rewarded. I am very appreciative of this, and although it came late, my spirit was never undaunted because this is something I really love to do," he said.

Hawthorne, who began his coaching career at Prospect College in St Mary in 1985, has served at several high schools over the years, turning out numerous outstanding athletes who have gone on to represent Jamaica at the national level.

A senior lecturer and Vice Principal at G.C. Foster College of Physical Education and Sport, he is now in his second stint coaching sprinters at Calabar High School.

Hawthorne has also coached at St Mary High, Wolmer's Boys', Dinthill Technical, St Jago High and G.C. Foster College.

At St Mary High, he developed talents such as Nikole Mitchell and Percival Spencer.

His greatest success came during his time at St Jago High, where he guided the careers of Yohan Blake, Riker Hylton, Nickel Ashmeade, Nathon Allen, and Raheem Chambers -- all of whom went on to represent Jamaica at the senior level.

His wife, Marlene, who also coached at St Jago High, was recognised on Saturday after receiving the Platinum Award for over 30 years of coaching.