It was a historic weekend for Cayman track and field as sprinters rewrote the record books and secured their places on the biggest stage in collegiate athletics.
Rasheem Brown, 26, officially cemented his status as the fastest sprint hurdler in Cayman’s history.
Competing on Saturday, 30 May, at the 24th annual Music City Track Carnival held at the Ray Conn Sports Complex in Cleveland, Tennessee, Brown delivered two incredible runs in the men’s 110-metre hurdles.
In the heats, Brown clocked a time of 13.37 seconds, missing the national record of 13.36 seconds set by Caymanian Olympian Ronald Forbes in 2016 by just one-hundredth of a second.
Brown returned for the final, storming across the line in 13.25 seconds to shatter the decade-old mark and claim the national record as his own.
For Brown, the historic milestone provides “validation that the years of hard work, sacrifice, and commitment to the process are paying off”.
“There have been challenges and setbacks along the way that made me think about walking away from the sport, but I kept the faith and reminded myself that it’s not too late to start and believe again,” Brown said.
“This achievement shows that the work I’ve been putting in is moving me in the right direction. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, [and] grateful for everyone who has supported me up to this point of my career,” he added.
Brown’s breakthrough came as no surprise to the man whose record he surpassed.
“Like all things, records are there for people to aspire to try to break and Rasheem kept faithful in his journey. I’ve seen him struggle over the years of trying to get near it and trying to always run a personal best,” said Ronald Forbes.
“My prediction is that he’s going to drop that into the [lower 13s] given that it’s still May and he has June, July and August to continue to run. I pray he stays healthy, that as he increases in speed everything holds together and he can continue to lower it even from here. Major congratulations to Rasheem,” Forbes said.
Reid and Howell excel
More track excellence came in Lexington, Kentucky, where Cayman sprinter Jaiden Reid also ran to a new national record.
At the NCAA East First Round on 29 May, Reid shattered his own national record at 200 metres, clocking a new personal best time of 20.01 seconds.
This run not only rewrote the Caymanian history books but also moved Reid to number five all-time in the Louisiana State University history.
Furthermore, Reid’s performances also punched his ticket to the NCAA 2026 Division 1 Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in three separate events – the 100-metre, 200-metre and the 4×100-metre relay.
Joining Reid in Oregon will be fellow Caymanian Olympian Davontè Howell, who also competed at the NCAA East First Round.
Howell punched his ticket to the NCAA 2026 D1 Track and Field Championships in the 100m and the 4×100-metre relay.
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