Dwyer, Allen follow Bloomfield into retirement

FOLLOWING THE retirement of 400-metre specialist Akeem Bloomfield, two other senior representatives in Nathon Allen and Rasheed Dwyer have also called time on their careers.

The 35-year-old Dwyer, 2011 World Student Games and 2014 Commonwealth Games men’s 200-metre gold medallist, made the revelation to The Sunday Gleaner yesterday.

Dwyer, who has represented the country since his junior days in 2008 at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, has had several fine achievements at the senior level.

Making his debut in 2010 at the NACAC Under-23 Games in Miramar, Florida, Dwyer was third in the 200 metres, clocking 20.60 seconds.

He has been a member of the SprinTec track and field training group based at G.C. Foster College under the guidance of Maurice Wilson since leaving Camperdown High School.

He has a personal best of 19.98 seconds for second place at the Continental Cup in 2014, and is also the Pan American Games record holder.

He is also a four-time national champion and has competed for the senior team at three World Relays and three World Championships. He was also a member of the Jamaica team to the 2020 Olympic Games.

His latest representation for the senior team came in Budapest last year at the World Athletics Championships.

Dwyer thanked all who have supported him over the years.

“I am getting older and I think this is the right time to pass on the baton to the younger generation as there are many of them, including the likes of Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake and Sandrey Davison, who, I think, are ready to continue with the success of the country’s men’s sprinting and I have no regrets,” said Dwyer.

“I would like to thank my coach Maurice Wilson and the coaching staff at SprinTec, along with sponsors from, Adidas, led by managers Adrian Laidlaw and agent Cubie Seebogin, who have all played integral roles in my track and field career over the years,” said Dwyer.

Allen, a promising 400-metre runner, has endured a number of injuries but it is unknown if that has had an impact on his decision.

The 29-year-old won the Nacac Under-23 Championships, had two silver medals in relays, was a World U20 bronze medallist and helped Jamaica mine silver at a World Relays.

A member of Jamaica’s relay teams, Allen enjoyed a silver medal at the Olympics Games, as well as three World Championships medals of the same colour.