McLeod still interested in 100m sprints McLeod still interested in 100m sprints

Jamaica’s hurdler supreme Omar McLeod rarely runs the flat sprint events, but things may change when he has accomplished all he hopes to in the 110m hurdles. Speaking in London, ahead of this weekend’s IAAF Diamond League meet, the Olympic and World hurdles champion said he hopes to sprint full time in the future. At the same press conference yesterday, he asked for patience as Jamaica’s track and field proceeds following the retirement of the incomparable Usain Bolt.

McLeod loves sprint events

Asked what events he enjoys watching at major championships, he said, “You know, I love sprinting.” Perhaps with his flat 100m personal best of 9.99 seconds in mind, he said, “I’m in the hurdles, but I love sprinting.” Then in a promise of things to come, he indicated, “Hopefully, when I’m done with the hurdles, I’d love to switch over to full-time sprinting.”

In addition to winning 110m hurdles titles at every level, the 25-year-old reigning World champion has also shown his sprint speed on the 4x100m relay for Manchester High School, Kingston College, the University of Arkansas, and Jamaica. Unfortunately, Bolt suffered an injury in the race where McLeod made his Jamaica sprint relay debut – the 2017 World Championships final in London.

Faced with a query about the recent issues concerning the Racers Track Club, McLeod responded thoughtfully.

“I think Jamaica is just going through that little phase right now, like figuring stuff out, figuring who is next, who’s the next big sprinter,” he said. “You know, Usain Bolt retired, and he left a little dent in track and field, and it’s that constant struggle and pressure to fill that void, and I just feel like they really need to be patient, be very patient with the athletes and allow us to shine our own light.

“The fans are a little bit uneasy, (but) we’ll be all right.”