Miller hurls away national junior shot put record

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

Carrying a torn muscle in his non-throwing shoulder, Calabar High School's Ashinia Miller on Saturday obliterated his own national junior record, hurling the shot put an impressive 20.17 metres at the Big Shot meet at St Hugh's High School.

Miller, whose previous record was 19.97 metres, finished ahead of teammate Federick Dacres (17.46m) and Munro College's Emmanuel Oniya (17.30m).

It was a bittersweet moment for the burly thrower who has ambitions of winning a medal at the World Junior Championships. He acknowledged that he drew inspiration from one of Jamaica's champion athletes.

"I didn't fulfill my expectations, but I am more pleased with this performance than I was with the one last week," he said. "Last week's performance (at the Douglas Forrest Invitational) was 19.3-something and I was so disappointed - sat in one place for two hours.

"Coming into this meet I tore a muscle in my left shoulder, but I told myself that I needed to build character," he noted. "I saw how Melaine Walker did it at the World Championships and I told myself that this could happen at World Juniors, so I came out here today and competed."

The Julian Robinson-coached Miller said he knew the record was gone once he released the ball, as scores of other throwers looked on in awe.

"I knew because I transferred weight from my right leg to the left more than I usually do, so from it left my hand I knew the record was going," Miller stated.

Rehabilitation

With regards to the injured shoulder, he is awaiting word from his physiotherapist - which he should hear by mid-week - and then set a schedule to start rehabilitation and a programme to facilitate the injury and then "press on to the World Championships" in Barcelona, Spain, in July.

Robinson revealed that he is thinking of giving him a week off to recuperate. But even as he gets treatment for his shoulder, Miller, who turns 19 in June, is mindful of the tremendous burden he carries this season.

His former teammate, Traves Smikle, is a World Junior medallist in the discus from 2010, the first to do so. Then, last year Federick Dacres, also of Calabar High, took it to a level higher when throwing the discus at the World Youth Championships in Lille, France, became Jamaica's first ever gold medallist at a global track-and-field meet.

Miller, who is convinced that he is capable of throwing 21metres right now, feels it is his responsibility now to raise Jamaica's profile in the shot put.

"As you know I am the only one who doesn't have an international medal, so Sir (Robinson) is depending on me to put the shot put on the international stage for Jamaica. I have that mantle to carry and I hope I can," he said.

Miller's performance eclipsed three other meet records set on Saturday. Munro's Vikarie Elliott won the Class Three boys' discus with a throw of 40.75 (meet record) over Daniel Walker (38.88m) and Kingston College's Jayaustin Brooks (37.91m).

In the boys' Class Three shot put, Walker won with a throw of 12.28m (meet record) over Wolmer's Boys' Kyle Mitchell (11.63m) and Lennon High's Shaquille Gilfillian (11.58m).

Meanwhile, Holmwood Technical's Gleneve Grange won the girls' Class Two shot put with 13.39m (meet record). Aaliyah Francis of St Hugh's was second with a throw of (10.38m) and Holmwood's Shanna-Kay Rowe (10.26m) was third.