Caymanian track prospect Jaiden Reid stopped the clock at 20.51 seconds at his 200-metre heat at the SEC Conference finals, setting a new national record for the Cayman Islands.
“I’m very proud that I’ve broken the record,” Reid told the Compass. The previous record of 20.57 was set by Jamal Walton in April of 2017.
Reid, 19, a freshman at Louisiana State University, went on to help win gold in the 4x100m, posting a time of 38.19 seconds – the top time in the nation.
His performance in the relay also earned him Outdoor First Team All-SEC honours this month, LSU announced.
Reid, this year’s 100m silver medallist at the CARIFTA Games and the third-ranked Under-20 200m sprinter in the world, said despite earning a senior national record, the best is yet to come.
“It’s always been my dream to represent my country and myself at a high level,” he said. “Nevertheless, I’m still working hard and this is just the beginning.”
Should Reid continue to lower his times, he might find himself meeting the Olympic standard before the qualifying window closes on 9 June.
He is scheduled to compete again at the NCAA East First Rounds, which begins Wednesday, 22 May.
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The comment on the relay time is misleading, as the time quoted is obviously the finish time for his team, and not “the top time for Cayman”. However Jaiden’s 200m time was an excellent performance as was his second place in the Carifta 100m behind the winner also a Caymanian.