Mark Anthony 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 2022 ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Championships (Champs). His father, Mark Miller, was delighted with his son’s performance and hopes the younger Miller’s legs will carry him to college.

Mark Anthony gave up a chance to defend the 400 metres 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 last Wednesday on the second day of the championships. Both were awarded the same time: 10.76 seconds.

“This one was sweeter (than the 400m last year),” the elder Miller said. “Years of hard work, seeing the talent from early and investing in the talent and just seeing it pay off in the 100 metres gold.”

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

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 and 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 between 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.

POSITIVE ENERGY

“Once we’re positive around him, and all that, he thrives on that positive energy. 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,” he said.

The sprinter’s next big assignment is overseas, but his father is looking further down the road. “He’s very, very, superexcited about going to the Penn Relays, superexcited for that. Hopefully, his legs can carry him through to a good scholarship, a good university in the coming future, get his master’s out of his legs and he can take it from there,” Miller envisaged.

JC will go to the prestigious 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 in March.

At the Gibson McCook Relays in February, JC ran seven minutes 24.30 seconds in the 4x800m. That is faster than the Penn Relays record of 7.26.09 by Calabar High School in 2018.