Stephane Zaharia, General Manager of CuisinArt Golf Resort and Spa, said: “With us you have already earned an Olympic Gold Medal and we wish to take this opportunity to hand you this Gold Medal of Excellence.” He was speaking at a cocktail reception, given in honour of Shara Proctor, at Italia Restaurant on Wednesday September 26.
He quoted the achievements of Shara since 2005, when she broke the Anguilla long jump record, to 2012 when she broke the British record by jumping 6.89m. He said that Shara was a true inspiration to all and should be to every young man and woman in Anguilla. He noted that she demonstrated that, with hard work, dedication, passion, talent and proper guidance and coaching, the sky is the limit. And he took the opportunity to thank all sport associations in Anguilla for their hard work – with low budgets – to give after-school activities and keep young people off the streets.
Director of Sports, Wilma Proctor, said that in addition to congratulating Shara for her achievements, it was important to encourage the youth of Anguilla to create goals and work towards them. She said that the Anguilla Amateur Athletic Federation (AAAF) provided technical support, over the years, enabling Shara to attend regional and international events. She thanked Shara’s teachers, family and friends for their support, and while applauding Shara reminded her and others that it was always important to give back.
President of the AAAF, Lorna Rogers, expressed pride in Shara’s achievements and her Olympic debut. She suggested that Shara was well on her way to cementing her position as one of the top athletes in the world. She expressed the hope that more Anguillian athletes would become involved, but noted that a track dedicated to athletes was urgently needed. She thanked the management and staff of CuisinArt for hosting the reception.
In her reply, Shara thanked everyone for their support which she appreciated very much. She said that during the past two days she had visited all the schools on the island and was very well received. The students were all very interested in her career and asked a lot of questions. Shara said it was important that the young people know the opportunities that exist even for someone from a small island like Anguilla.
