Jamaica’s Alana Reid led a Caribbean sweep when she won the women’s 100m last night (28) at the World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru. She clocked 11.17secs to defeat a pre-race favorite, Adaejah Hodge, of the British Virgin Islands (11.27), and Kishawna Niles of Barbados 11.37s.
Reid, who trains in Florida alongside USA’s World champion Sha’Carri Richardson, threw her arms wide open waist high as she crossed the finish line, identical to one of Richardson’s celebratory gestures. “She teaches me a lot and shows me many things,” Reid told the media about the relationship between Richardson and her.
Hodge lives and trains in the US.
Reid and Hodge are Paris Olympians; Reid ran the lead-off for Jamaica’s sprint relay team who placed fifth in the final, and Hodge did not advance from the preliminary round of the 100m.
It wasn’t Reid’s first major at a global meet, but it was Jamaica’s first gold medal at this 2024 Championships, where her compatriots had been struggling in the qualification rounds. Prior to her win in Lima, Reid won 200m bronze at the World 2022 Under-18 Championships. In 2021, she was the first Under-18 female to break the 24-second mark in the 200m of the NACAC U23 Championships. She registered a shocking legal 10.92secs to take the 2023 Jamaica high school championships 100m title and erased the record by Olympian Veronica Campbell-Brown that stood for 22 years. She also won sprint relay gold medals for representing Jamaica.