By Neto Baptiste
Principal of the reigning Inter-schools track & field champions Princess Margaret School (PMS), Dr. Collin Greene, said a recent visit by Olympians Dina Asher-Smith and Ashley Nelson provided a major boost to both the student body and faculty, as they continue to encourage and agitate for the wholesome development of all involved.
“We have also developed a programmed and an improved programme where we are exposing our children to people who are in the professional realm to give a sense as to how that goes. In conjunction with our counselling department and a new and improved student support programme, we are working on soft skills and exposure to people who have experience and success in various fields, with track and field being one of them. So, they were delighted to come and interact with us, the whole school programme, and had a wonderful time while they were doing it,” he said.
Asher-Smith, the fastest British woman on record with a personal best of 10.83 seconds in the 100 metres and 21.88 in the 200 meters, and Nelson, an English sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres, visited the institution last week Friday where they interacted with students and teachers.
The athletes’ visit was organised by national sprinter and former PMS student, Cejhae Greene.
Dr Greene said the initiative was well-received by both teachers and students.
“I have one athlete who wasn’t there on the day because she wasn’t feeling well in the morning. A fellow teammate messaged her to let her know that Dina Asha-Smith and Ashley Nelson were there and she told her mother that she is not sick and she ran all the way to PMS just to be there. The information that was shared was all found to be very useful and just to rub shoulders with world class athletes has had a tremendous impact. They asked sensible questions, they got answers and I think we’re moving forward, motivated to go to the next level,” he said.
Both Asher-Smith and Nelson were presented with tokens of appreciation by the school and were also treated to a mini performance and pan lessons from the PMS Serenaders.
Asher-Smith won a gold medal in the 200, silver in the 100, and another silver in the 4×100 relay at the 2019 World Championships, breaking her own British records with further records which still stand. Aged 24, she was the first Briton to win three medals at a World Championships.
Nelson won a bronze medal in the 100 metres and a gold medal in the 4×100 relay at the 2014 European Championships. In the 4×100 relay, she also won a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships.