Connie Francis special honoree at CB/UWI 5K

Former national player and coach of the Sunshine Girls, Connie Francis, is this year’s special honoree of the CB/UWI 5K Fundraising Run, continuing an established tradition for the event, which had its inaugural staging in 2012.

Chairperson of the event, Elizabeth Buchanan-Hind, said that it was the university’s distinct pleasure to honour Francis.

“We are delighted to recognise the great Connie Francis, and to acknowledge her years of consistent excellence as a player and as a coach. Through her dedication, Jamaica’s deserved reputation as a global power in netball, and in the sporting arena generally, shall continue.”

Francis has been a pre-eminent figure in Jamaican netball for more than three decades, coming to prominence as part of the all-conquering Waulgrovians club teams. She has a similarly stellar record as a national representative and is one of only three Sunshine Girls to have worn the national colours at five World Netball Championships.

Francis transitioned to the role of coach and also enjoyed podium success, guiding the Sunshine Girls to bronze-medal finishes at two separate World Netball championships (2007 and 2023).

The honour places the netballer in the company of other stalwarts in the sporting arena, including fellow netball great Molly Rhone, administrator Mike Fennell; Alfred “Frano” Francis, managing director, Running Events Limited, sprint coach Glen Mills; and track greats Asafa Powell, Shericka Jackson, Omar McLeod, and Hansle Parchment.

The 2023 edition of the CB/UWI 5K Run takes place on November 19 on the UWI Mona Campus, beginning at 6 a.m. The 2022 event attracted 5,000 participants.

Contribution to enter the event is $1,500 per adult and $700 per student/child. The adult group rate is $1,200 per person.

For additional race information, patrons may log on to the website at www.runningeventsja.com or www.uwi5k.org.