Hurdles star gets scholarship to UTech

Former St Elizabeth Technical 400 m hurdle standout Marvin Williams is this year's recipient of the Digicel MVP Grassroots Athletics Programme Scholarship.

The scholarship is a part of the company's track and field training programme, which sees over 600 high-school students being taught the necessary technical skills to excel in the sport.

Valued at $1 million dollars and tenable at the University of Technology (UTech), the scholarship is awarded to a participant of the programme who shows both promising talent in track and field and is also excelling academically.

"Our next generation stars are striking an outstanding balance in both sports and academics; therefore, it is important that we reward this. We want our students to recognise that their future is not only in sport, but also in academics," said Kamal Powell, senior sponsorship and development manager at Digicel.

gold medal

Williams earned seven subjects in the Caribbean Examinations Councils exams. He is the first Jamaican boy to win the 400m hurdles gold medal at the International Association of Athletics Federations World Youth Championships (2013).

He also won silver in the 400m hurdles at this year's Boys' Championships and has the distinction of being the third-fastest boy in the world in the 400m hurdles for 2015, with a time of 49.90 seconds.

Williams is reading for a degree in Tourism Management.

"I am really thankful to Digicel for giving me this opportunity. The grassroots programme was very beneficial to me, and to be receiving this scholarship is a plus. I will not only be able to attend university, but I will also be able to train with MVP, which truly is the best of both worlds," he said.