“In 2024, you are going to be there,” Davontè Howell’s father, Dave, told his son eight years prior to him getting the call to represent Cayman at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
“I have thought of Paris from the time I was 10 years old,” Howell told the Compass, in recalling that conversation with his dad. “This has been a long-time goal my dad set for me.”
Now 18, Howell, who has been on a historic run, will put his speed to the test in the 100-metre dash against the world’s best next month – a task he welcomes.
“I can’t wait to get to Paris,” he said, noting that his invitation to the Games is a testament to his commitment to the sport over the last two years.
Last month, Howell ran 10.09 seconds at the North American Central American and Caribbean New Life Invitational meet in the Bahamas; if he had shaved just .09 seconds off that time, he would have automatically qualified for the Olympics.
But his efforts did not go unnoticed. Just weeks after his staggering sprint, Howell received a Universality Place – a lifeline to athletes from underrepresented National Olympic Committees. These quotas are allocated to eligible committees like the Cayman Islands by the Olympic Games Tripartite Commission.
However, while Howell didn’t hit the Olympic standard leading up to the Games, he believes in his abilities and noted his confidence peaks when the odds are stacked against him.
“Honestly, I’ve had a lot of success over the last two years, and I thank God for that. I put in a lot of work, and it started to show and I’m starting to get a lot of support for it,” he said.
Howell shocked the region in 2023 when he won gold at the CARIFTA Games, becoming the first Caymanian male to do so, and, proving it was no fluke, he returned the following year to defend that title.
‘Winning is still in my mind’
However, despite being a two-time CARIFTA champion, Howell said it’s time for bigger and better accomplishments.
“[When you] become satisfied with your performance … that’s when you don’t see progress anymore; you have to take the win and keep pushing,” Howell said, noting that he wants to win at the Olympics though that might not be possible this year.
“Winning is still in my mind but that’s a bit unrealistic for this Olympics,” he admitted. “I believe there’s people simply more experienced and older, and there’s a lot of factors that go into this.
“I still want to compete; I don’t want to say I’m going there for the experience … So, hopefully, [qualifying for] at least the semi-finals or finals, I would be really happy with [that].”
Currently tapering his training, while managing his diet and getting mentally ready, Howell noted that the level of competition, the atmosphere, and lots of adrenaline will be the keys for him to run a record time at the Stade de France.
“Honestly, that is what I think I need,” he said. I believe that is the perfect time to go sub-10.”
His countryman Jordan Crooks is a heavy favourite from team Cayman to make the finals in swimming. Both Crooks and Howell are student-athletes at the University of Tennessee – a school that ultimately propelled Howell to Paris.
He said it would feel amazing to be among the greats of track and field like Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman, who also passed through Tennessee en route to their Olympic careers.
But while training in the US has elevated Howell’s potential, he has not forgotten those who gave him his start in the sport.
“Coach Tyrone [Yen] has been with me since I was in Prospect Primary School, to John Gray [High School], and I still text coach Tyrone [even though] I moved on to the US,” he said. “He has not only been a track coach for me, but a mental coach … he’s almost like another father figure.”
And it’s only fitting that the coach who was responsible for Howell’s early success accompany him for his biggest meet yet. The Cayman Islands Olympic Committee confirmed that coach Yen will be with his pupil in Paris.
Howell’s path to the Olympics has been carved by many along the way, but he said all is owed to those who envisioned his future, particularly his father who declared his son would be at the 2024 Olympics.
“My mom and my dad have been both amazing, they sacrificed a lot for me,” he said. “Their support system is one of the biggest things to help drive myself. I believe athletes in general, once they have a very strong supportive system, that’s when they tend to go far.”
See Cayman’s Olympic team schedule here.
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I’m so glad that both Tyrone and Davonte will be travelling to Paris, they both thoroughly deserve their trip. In the past Jamaica has produced our best sprinters but now we have one of our own joining the club.