Marshall joins Foster-Hylton at MVP

Freshly crowned World Under-20 100m hurdles bronze medallist Tiana Marshall says she is looking forward to joining MVP Track Club in September as she begins the next chapter of her promising career.

Marshall, one of Jamaica’s most talented junior hurdlers, will leave Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls after completing upper-sixth form last term.

She noted that although she has one year of Class One eligibility remaining and would have been able to compete at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships next year, she has decided to begin her tertiary education at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in September.

“Yes, I will be joining the MVP camp,” Marshall said.

“I feel like it is a good move for me. But I don’t really think too much about it and I don’t really stress too much on it, because I know that I will go there and do what I know I am capable of doing.

“As long as I stay focused and do what I know that I can do, then I will be perfectly fine.”

The 18-year-old said her decision to join MVP is one she believes will benefit her development, particularly with former world 100m hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton set to be her coach.

“They have a good coaching staff and athletes who will help to push me and help me to become one of the greatest athletes,” she said.

“I have worked with her (Foster-Hylton) a couple of times and she is an amazing individual, and she is a great coach,” Marshall stated.

“I am just looking forward to learning more things, because there is still a lot that I can work on technically. And so, I am just looking forward to working with her, and for her to help me to be the best hurdler that there will be.”

Foster-Hylton won the women’s 100m hurdles world title in Berlin, Germany, in 2009.

Marshall has a personal best of 12.97 seconds in the 100m hurdles.

Her decision to leave Wolmer’s comes after an outstanding junior career that included winning the Class One 100m hurdles title at this year’s Champs before securing a bronze medal at the World Under-20 Championships.

Despite her excitement about the future, Marshall admitted that leaving Wolmer’s comes with mixed emotions.

“It is a very bittersweet moment because Wolmer’s helped to shape me into the athlete that I am today,” she said. “My time was well spent at that school, and not only have I become a good athlete, but also an exceptional individual.

“So it is bittersweet leaving such an all-rounded school. I am going to miss my coach, my teammates, some of the teachers, and some of my friends in the younger grades.”

Marshall explained that completing sixth form ahead of schedule influenced her decision to move on, rather than spend another year competing at the high-school level.

“I still have one year in Class One at Champs, but I have finished sixth form already, so there is nothing else left for me at the junior level or Champs,” she said.

“I just don’t want to spend another year there when I could start college and finish earlier,” she added.

“I am feeling good that I will be attending UWI because it is one of the best colleges in the Caribbean, and the fact that they have accepted me, I am feeling good about it,” Marshall said.