Top Bermuda middle distance runner Larry Marshall Jr. has captured his most important prize to date - a four-year scholarship at a school in the United States.

The 19-year-old athlete will be leaving the Island on Monday to begin his first term at one of the more prominent track colleges on the east coast, Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Carolina.

He will join ranks with highly respected coach George (Pup) Williams who is also the Athletic Director of the US Olympic men's track and field team for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Marshall finally reaped the reward he had been seeking after a fine run at the Peachtree 10K in Atlanta on July 4 when he completed the course in a time of 33 minutes and 37 seconds which placed him among the top 90 in a field of more than 20,000.

Earlier, on May 24, he excelled in the local Marathon Derby by finishing fifth, crossing the finish line in a time of one hour, 20 minutes and 11 seconds. And before that, he started off the year by recording a time of 34 minutes and 15 seconds in the International 10K.

When Saint Augustine's assistant track coach Damon Sterling recently broke the news to Larry and his father Larry Marshall Sr., both said they were ecstatic and were quick to remind other aspiring scholarship seekers how important it was to persevere and remain focused on their goals.

“We appreciate the opportunity to attend the school. The years of hard work have definitely paid off and we definitely thank the Lord for the opportunity and hopefully Larry will be able to reach his full potential in that environment because you have a lot top athletes all training in the same programme,” said Larry senior who has been his son's long-time trainer.

“If that doesn't bring the best out of him I don't know what will. He has trained throughout the summer, he hasn't taken much time off from his regular schedule and I have assured the coach that he will be coming there in very good condition.”'

For the son, the scholarship represents a dream come true, having admitted to The Royal Gazette following the Marathon Derby that his sole ambition was to “run for a scholarship”, entering every race with that goal in mind.

“Everything has paid off, it proves that with hard work and dedication and by keeping the faith then the rewards will come your way. I'm really excited about it and hope that other local youngsters will be inspired to follow in my footsteps,” said Larry Jr.

Coach Sterling, who learned of the athlete after holding discussions with former Bermuda runner and current local coach Steve Burgess, said that Marshall would be a welcome addition to his team in events like the 1500 and 5000 metres and cross country.

He also reckoned that with Marshall now aboard the team could move in a direction where they would be able to build a formidable middle distance squad for the first time in the history of the school.

“We have one of the best track teams in the country, we have won 24 national championships, including the one we captured this year. In the longer distances, however, we didn't have anybody to qualify.

“We had one guy who missed qualifying by 15 seconds. If that one person and Larry can run good together then we hope it's the beginning of the making of a sound team in distance running,” said the coach.

“Yes, I am just as excited about these developments as the Marshall family.

“I haven't actually met them, I am going by word of mouth and basing everything on the reports that have reached me. Larry has returned all of the registration papers and we are just waiting for him to get here.”