Miller thrives on positive energy

Surrounded at home by positive energy, Mark Anthony Miller gave Jamaica College (JC) 18 points by winning the Class Two 100 and 200 metres at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships last week. His father, Mark Miller, is delighted with his performance and hopes the younger Miller's legs will carry him to college.

Mark Anthony gave up a chance to defend the 400m title he captured last year to focus on the short sprints. The undefeated Jamaica College speed merchant edged Gary Card of Wolmer's Boys School in the 100m on Wednesday. Both were awarded the same time of 10.76 seconds.

"His years of hard work, seeing the talent from early and investing in the talent and just seeing it pay off in the 100m gold, even though he got the 400m gold last year, this one was even sweeter," the elder Miller said.

The youngster returned to win the 200m on Saturday in 21.82 seconds.

Just weeks before, Mark Anthony had some muscle soreness. It was nothing more than a passing discomfort, but it could have been a worry.

"As a father, and coming through the prep school system being a father-coach helping out, I learnt to stay back, be a father first and foremost, as it relates to my son, and have all the preventative items or products or whatever it is, to assist in aiding in the recovery or prevention of any injury or anything like that," Mark Miller said. "Also being there as moral support, my wife and I, so he draws on that moral support and throughout the years, he's learnt to differentiate coach and parent, and he's better for it."

Last year, the St Ann native was sixth in the 200m.

Reassurances from those around him helped.

"Once we're positive around him and all that, he thrives on that positive energy," Mark Anthony's father said. "So I'd recommend everybody just be positive around their kids and encourage them. Let the coaches do their thing and we as parents do our thing."

The sprinter's next big assignment is overseas but his father is looking further down the road.

"He's very, very, super excited about going to the Penn Relays, super excited for that," he said. "Hopefully, his legs can carry him through a good scholarship, a good university in the coming future, get his masters out of his legs and he can take it from there."

JC will go to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia with a chance to sweep the Championship of America 4x100m, 4x400m, and 4x800m.

Coached by Neil Harrison, the Blues lowered their own season leading Class One 4x100m time from 40.24 seconds to 39.43. JC also won the Champs 4x400m, having clocked the best 2022 time of 3:09.96 minutes in March.

At the Gibson McCook Relays in February, JC ran 7:24.30 in the 4x800m. That's faster than the Penn Relays record of 7:26.09 by Calabar High School in 2018.