More accolades for Michael “Mercy” Ollivierre

Having a championship co-named in his honour has delighted experienced Track and Field coach Vincentian, Michael Ollivierre, who spent 13 years at the St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), in Jamaica.

For Ollivierre’s sterling contribution, and that of the late Eldemire Smith, the 2025 Track and Field championships of the institution was rebranded as the STETHS Ollivierre/Smith Invitational.

Ollivierre travelled from St Vincent and the Grenadines to attend the two-day meet that took place on January 25 and 26 at STETHS Sports Complex in Santa Cruz.

Incidentally, it was under Ollivierre that the championships got going in 1983. Ollivierre was the Sports Director of STETHS from 1981 to 1994.

The latest honour, Ollivierre said, was a testament to his impact on the sport in Jamaica, even coming from St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“It is just one of these humbling moments for me, that people can recognize my input and my contribution and show appreciation in such a manner of co- naming a staple event on STETHS calendar after me,” Ollivierre told SEARCHLIGHT from Jamaica.

He quipped that he has been more revered there than in the place of his birth.

This latest honour moment for Ollivierre is another highlight occasions for him.

Ollivierre, in 2017, was the toast of the Alumni who hosted five days of activities dubbed “Coach Ollivierre Appreciation Celebration”.

As a prelude to the renaming of the championships, Ollivierre was honoured by STETHS in January, 2024.

Last November, Ollivierre was honoured with the Lifetime Coaching Achievement Award from the Jamaica Track and Field Coaches Association.

The experienced coach however puts his accomplishment of producing 10 Olympians as one of the major highlights of his coaching career.

Among the lot was Olympic and World Championships 400 metres hurdles runner-up Winthrop Graham, as well as Gregory Haughton.

Thanks to the strong STETHS programme, the likes of Dennis Blake, Anthony Wallace and Ian Weakley, among others, emerged as Olympians representing Jamaica.

Ollivierre, who holds IAAF (now World Athletics) Level 5 coaching status, while at STETHS was able to procure 91 Track and Field scholarships for Jamaican athletes to US universities and colleges.

As a result, eight of them secured individual champions titles, at the Penn Relays in the USA.

After his stint at STETHS, Ollivierre showed his all-round capabilities when he took up duties in Saint Lucia at the OECS Sports Desk, as Coordinator in 1997.

Returning to St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ollivierre established IT- DAT (Integrated Team Developing Athletic Talent) Academy, which since its formation in 2010, is one of the country’s leading Track and Field units.