Tearful farewell for Edwin Allen’s Taneisha Gayle

It was a sad occasion for members of the Edwin Allen High School fraternity last Saturday as they paid their final respects to former student-athlete Taneisha Gayle, who was laid to rest in Mount Pleasant, Manchester.

A member of the school’s track and field team, the 15-year-old Gayle was a member of Edwin Allen’s winning medley relay team at this year’s ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships. She tragically passed away on September 12.

Gayle fell ill during a training session that day and was first taken to a nearby medical facility in Frankfield before being transferred to the Percy Junor Hospital in Mandeville, where she died a few hours later. The cause of her death remains inconclusive.

A third-form student at the institution, Gayle’s funeral service was well attended by her classmates and members of the track and field team who gave her a tearful farewell. Also in attendance were members of the teaching and coaching staff, the principal and family members.

Her coach, Michael Dyke, described Gayle as a quiet and humble athlete.

“Taneisha was very quiet and reserved. She’s a big loss to the programme as she was extremely talented and had a great future in the sport, especially in the long jump and 100 metres, which were her preferred events,” said Dyke.

Dyke noted that members of the track and field team are still struggling to come to terms with her passing.

“Although she passed away over a month ago, they are still yet to overcome the loss of their teammate, which can be seen in their body language during training sessions,” he said. “We are happy for closure, but the memory of Taneisha will continue to linger among the entire school fraternity and she will surely be missed.”