AT first she was hesitant when her daughter wanted to play both netball and take part in athletics while at Frome Technical.

Some years later, Tracey-Ann Bendeson had second thoughts about Danniel leaving Petersfield and going all the way to Clarendon to attend sixth form at Edwin Allen High.

Today, Tracey Ann is bursting with pride at the achievements of daughter Danniel Thomas who played a big role in Edwin Allen’s first ISSA/GraceKennedy Girls Championships title.

Danniel won two gold medals — in the shot put where she set a new meet record 14.47m and javelin Open events — as well as a silver in the Class One discus for 25 points and the overall higest scorer at Champs.

“I am so very, very, very proud of her, we all are,” Bendeson told the Sunday Observer on Friday.

The doting mother described how she felt when Danniel started playing netball while at Frome. She said she was good at it but wanted to join the track team.

“I told her she can’t do both… as she had to make some time for her school work as well,” Benderson said.

A former netball player and runner herself, Bendeson said they eventually worked out a compromise as it was obvious Danniel wanted to get involved in athletics and she did not want to stop her from pursuing her dreams.

Danniel remembers persuading her mom that taking part in sports would not affect her grades and also managed to get her to understand the benefits of taking part in sports.

Bendeson has yet to watch her daughter compete. She said her job prevented her from going to Champs to see the first of her four children compete.

After dominating Western Champs while at Frome, Thomas had limited success at Champs with fourth place in the javelin and a final berth in the Class Three her best achievement.

In 2010 in her first year at Edwin Allen, Thomas was a surprise winner of the Class One discus after teammate and favourite Sasha Gaye Marston failed to get into the final. She was also third in the shot and javelin.

Thomas says moving to Edwin Allen and joining a solid core of throwers was the best thing for her.

“At Frome I was the only thrower, not just the only girl. I was the only one there and so for the most parts I was coaching myself,” she said.

“At Edwin Allen, I had to wait my turn as there were all these top throwers… but we work well together and developed a healthy competition…,” she also told the Sunday Observer.

“Sasha Gaye was the big name there and I wanted to get to her level,” she said.

She had high praises for Marlon Gayle, Edwin Allen’s throwing coach, saying he helped them with their school work as well.

Thomas made her first and only national team to date when she represented Jamaica at the Junior Pan-American Championships in Miramar, Florida last year and while she did not medal in the discus, it gave her much needed experience.

Her mother was proud for another reason. “I was very excited for Danniel as she went further than I have ever been, so I was so happy for her.”

Danniel, who will compete in the discus throw at this weekend’s Penn Relays, says while she has her eyes on the Olympic Games, she is more interested in making the Olympic B qualifying standard of 59.50m.