Jovélle McLean Meade at 13 years-of-age is the son of Silvonnie McLean and Veronica Meade, grandson of Jean McLean and Cecil Cassell loved running from a very early age. Before he was a year old Jovélle would have plenty bouts of running – random strangers would always remark that we should put him into sprinting.
Even at the park when it would be time to go home Jovélle would ask to run around one more time, despite playing for hours and running around he would always want one more run around.
Forward a few years to the 2012 Olympics Jovélle became obsessed with sprinting. Watching Usain Bolt and all the other runners, he wanted to be like them.
He pestered his dad Veronis Meade aka Joe, to take him running. At this time Tchai Codrington Joes nephew was running for a club Orion Harriers Junior so Joe took Jovélle along.
The coaches were immediately impressed with Jovélle and asked to take him to Woodford Green to an open meeting where Jovélle would get his official time.
On Jovélle’s first race on August 21, 2012 as an under-11 athlete, Jovélle ran 10.57s in the 75m and 21.13s in the 150m. He broke the record that stood at Orion Harriers at that time and to date has these two records at the club in the under-11 age group.
His second race was in the 100m and he did it in 14.29s. He was immediately signed to that club and have represented them at various locations including Linford Christie Stadium, Basildon, Walthamstow, Brighton, Hendon, Chelmsford and Ashford to name a few.
After these races Jovélle represented his Primary School St. Pauls and Al Hallows in a cross-country Event where he ran with boys from year 6&7 and came 19th overall.
As Jovélle’s time improved in his preferred events of 200m and 100m he started running with not his peers, but with different athletes of a higher age group. Despite being only 13, Jovélle would find himself competing with athletes older than him. Boys who are in the U15, U17, U23 and above-age group. This never deterred him and made his confidence grow. Often he would place first against these more experienced and older and advanced athletes.
Injury and loss of determination at one point discouraged Jovélle from running. Despite several encouragements even by his uncle Hartford Codrington who was a part of the Easter Monday Road Runners Relay Team 1990-1995 in Montserrat, he wanted to stop running.
February 2016, Jovélle went to a different club, Enfield and Haringey and the team spirit support and encouragement from his peers was the driving force backing-up his passion.
Jovélle most recent performance was on June 11, 2016 at the Hillingdon Stadium in Uxbridge where he competed with other athletes from various schools in the Inter School Championship.
Jovélle, with his mum and granddad in the crowd, ran the 200m in 23s which saw him break the previous record that stood since 1991. He then ranked 2nd fastest in England despite having a chest infection and not running to form.
The first ranked athlete did 22.9s.
As Jovélle won his last race in the 200m at this event he has been selected to represent the Borough of Middlesex in the 200m and will possibly be also selected to do the relay at the Gateshead International Stadium in Newcastle on July 8 and 9, 2016.
This is an ESAA National Championship competition and is the 4th largest Athletics event in the world.
He has also been selected to represent Haringey Schools at Crystal Palace the July 3 in the London School Championships.
Jovélle does 100m, 200m Long Jump and 4×100 relay where he is the anchor. Jovélle can represent Montserrat or the UK via his Montserrat parentage.
UK rankings stands:
60m -19th
60i – 20th
100m – 28th
200m – 2nd
200i – 13th
(i = indoors)
