Born in London, England on July 15, 1960, a youthful Hubert Lawrence moved and settled in Jamaica in the 1970s. His foray into track & field as a journalist and as a revered commentator, came after enjoying an amorous fling with table tennis. He once played in the second division category of the local business house competition at a time when tournaments were relatively aplenty. In a particular match against a wily BOJ squad, his victory set saved his team from an embarrassing five nil drubbing. He probably would have otherwise gone on to eke out a precarious career if he had continued with this sport daring to balance it with his public relation nine-to-five.
Fortuitously, it turned out that he was quickly subsumed by a burgeoning passion for sports journalism instead.
Hubert began dedicating his career delivering world class track and field analysis in the early 80s as a columnist contributing to the Jamaica Record before going on to be a monumental broadcasting figure on the sporting landscape. The St Jago High alum’s meteoric rise to becoming the veteran track & field analyst, was a testament of his dedicated bodies of work. He began to feature on a number of panels where he provided invaluable insights and historic facts, all coming from his vast
reservoir of knowledge and self-curated sports archives.
As each of his successful works layered upon itself, Hubert’s career in sports journalism took shape in no small measure, enough for him to challenge the conventional norm of being tethered to the desk. He predictably calculated and orchestrated a transition from being the congenial corporate PR guy to becoming the acclaimed broadcaster and columnist. Hubert’s Omni presence as an analyst, commentator and as a scribe brought an unparalleled combination of expertise to the athletics arena, making him a foremost authority in the region. His boundless energy doing what he loved, spanned three decades of him commanding the journalistic space where he covered an important trifecta of events, the Olympics, the World Championships and the regional CARIFTA Games.
Jamaica had undergone a sonic revolution in athletic coverage during and after the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Its growing preeminence in the sport of athletics, spurred TVJ to assemble an all-star cast of expert analysts. This stirred all round interests among the populace. Using these and other platforms, Hubert’s bedrock function in providing riveting commentary and critical statistics, effortlessly elevated his stocks as he made himself an analyst extraordinaire. This further set him on the
path to being etched indelibly among the pantheon of great Jamaican sport journalists.
With each day that clicks off, Hubert imbibed himself insatiably with more knowledge in the field of sports, benchmarking against the best in the business. The monthly “Track and Field News Magazine” long-considered the Bible of the sport, had a ubiquitous influence on his style and delivery as a writer. Indeed, it is no secret that his stand-out ability to producing track stats and trivia’s for his audience, was attributable to the copious storylines embedded in this magazine, which he voraciously consumed cover to cover, spanning umpteenth years.
It cost nothing less than everything for Hubert to dive in the inky depth chronicling Jamaica’s illustrious sporting achievements throughout the decades as a scribe extraordinaire. He co-authored the history of Jamaica’s track success through the publication of the “Power and Glory” Jamaica in World Athletics from WWII, “Champs 100” and “50 days of fire”. These books lay bare Hubert’s signature accomplishments as a next level sports historian and journalist of high repute.
Hubert’s commanding voice and presence as a broadcaster belied his humility and graciousness. These were ever on display in rapports whether with his coterie of friends or with the wider sporting community. When not at the latest weekend track meets, Hubert staked out his favourite haunts at selected meeting places.
There, he spoiled for hot topic discussions with fellow sport enthusiasts or he would simply exchange pleasantries with curious passers-by, who often recognized his unmistakeable face and voice.
How more deserving it would have been to listen once again to this luminary gifting us another weave of the rich tapestry of track and field through incisive coverage via television. The prolific author, considered to be a walking encyclopedia, was slated to provide coverage at the 47th staging of the prestigious
Gibson McCook Relays, but sadly passed the evening before.
The sporting landscape won’t be the same with his passing. We have gotten accustomed to his information-laced commentary that put context to performances and achievements of sportsmen and women regionally and across the globe. Despite his absence, his candle remains lit, glowing through his refulgent eyes watching over our beloved sports of athletics. His transition leaves a void that may not again be filled to meet the lofty expectations, but hope springs eternal. When we leaf through
the pages of his enduring legacies, we will see his flames burning a new trail for others to emulate.
Walk good and rest in peace our beloved “Hubie”.