Caymanian sprinter Jaiden Reid, 21, carved his name into the track and field history books with a series of impressive performances at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Competing for Louisiana State University on the sport’s biggest collegiate stage at Hayward Field, Reid delivered a masterclass in speed and determination that resulted in an unforgettable, record-shattering performance.
The pinnacle of Reid’s historic weekend came on day three, Friday, 12 June of the championships during the men’s 200-metre final where he crossed the finish line in a wind-legal time of 19.63 seconds to secure the NCAA national crown.
In that single race, Reid rewrote the record books, earning a new Cayman Islands national record, a personal best, and a new world leading time. More impressively, his time broke the legendary collegiate and meet record of 19.69 seconds, which had been held by Olympic medallist and Florida State University’s Walter Dix since 2007.
Reid was followed by Israel Okon of Auburn University in second place with a time of 19.99 seconds and Trelee Banks of Indiana University in third with a time of 20.02 seconds.
While the 200-metre victory was his crowning achievement, Reid’s historic week actually began days earlier in the 100-metre short sprint on Wednesday, 10 June.
During the preliminary heats, Reid clocked 9.95 seconds, a time that officially matched the long-standing Cayman Islands national record set by Olympian Kemar Hyman back in 2012, instantly placing Reid alongside Hyman as the joint fastest man in Cayman’s history for this event.
Reid carried that momentum into Friday’s 100-metre final, crossing the finish line in a season’s best wind-aided time of 9.82 seconds to capture the silver medal, right behind Auburn University’s Kanyinsola Ajayi who took first place with a wind-aided time of 9.72 seconds.
On Friday, Reid also captured a silver medal with his teammates after running a time of 38.06 seconds in the 4×100-metre final.
Howell races to gold with teammates
Fellow Caymanian standout Davontè Howell, representing the University of Tennessee, ran to gold with his teammates in the 4×100-metre relay with a time of 37.98 seconds, securing a school record, claiming fourth in NCAA history and Tennessee’s first men’s 4×100-metre national title since 1983.
Howell also secured a fourth-place finish with a season’s best time of 9.88 seconds in the 100-metre sprint alongside Reid, just a fraction behind Arkansas’ Jelani Watkins who placed third.
Related Videos
