Jamaica’s Omar McLeod (right) wins the Men’s 110 Metres Hurdles final during the Diamond League meet in Birmingham at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, Britain on Sunday.
Scrappy, inconsistent and out-of-character; Omar McLeod’s races for the first half this season were essentially a reflection of the difficulties he has faced throughout the year.
The Jamaican has been the stand-out performer in the sprint hurdles in recent years, winning the world indoor and Olympic gold medals in 2016 followed by the world title in 2017. Under the tutelage of Edrick Floreal, McLeod won 21 of his 25 races – including heats – between April 2016 and May 2018.
McLeod’s 2019 campaign started promisingly enough, winning his first IAAF Diamond League race of the season with a 13.12 clocking in Shanghai. What made the feat all the more impressive is that it came one day after the death of his aunt, one of his closest relatives.
But as the season progressed, McLeod started to struggle and was beaten in Nanjing, Rabat, Stanford and London. Never before in his professional career had he suffered four successive defeats.After finishing third in London – the same track on which he won the world title less than two years prior – McLeod knew that he had to make some significant changes if he wanted to be ready to defend his world title later this year.
Few athletes make changes to their coaching set-up in the middle of the season. For McLeod, though, his move to Rana Reider seems to have already lifted a weight off his shoulders.
Just two weeks ago McLeod relocated to Germany, Reider’s temporary summer base, where he now trains alongside an all-star multi-talented group.
“It’s a happy environment,” says McLeod.
“I’m around athletes who are equally as hungry as I am and they inspire me every single day.
In much the same way that his off-track struggles manifested themselves into his early-season results, McLeod’s newfound contentment was reflected at the recent IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham.
In less-than-perfect conditions at the Alexander Stadium, McLeod returned to winning ways with a 13.21 victory, looking every bit as smooth as he did during his dominant 2016-2017 period and beating a field that included US champion Daniel Roberts and Asian champion Xie Wenjun.
“I was happy that I was able to put myself in the best situation to come out here and get a win and a good booster going into the Diamond League final,” he said.
The 110m hurdles in Birmingham may have been a non-scoring discipline in the Diamond League, but for McLeod the win was more valuable than any points score. He had finally turned a corner.
“Winning feels good,” he said. “I feel like myself again.”
McLeod’s season up until now hasn’t exactly been plain sailing, but the 25-year-old is relishing getting back into a championship setting among the rest of the world’s best.
“I’m the defending champion and I’ll be up against the same people I run with every year,” says McLeod, who, as defending champion, will have a wildcard entry to the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
“They’re all getting stronger and stronger. Most of them, like Shubenkov and Ortega, are approaching 29 which are like the peak years.
“But I can’t really watch that, I just need to stick to what works for me. I know myself so well, I know what works for me, I just need to be honest with myself and pull off the win.”
He also already has an eye on the 2020 indoor season and hopes to use it as a springboard to Olympic success later that year in much the same way he did in 2016.
Before that, though, he has far more imminent goals. On 30 September – exactly six weeks from today – McLeod will line up for the 110m heats at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. Two days later, he hopes to be standing on the top step of the podium at the Khalifa International Stadium.
“Winning the world title would mean a huge deal,” he says.
“I’m a championship performer, I know exactly what it takes to win a title.
“I know me so well that if I’m in the right situation with a coach that knows what he’s doing and has confidence in me and trusts that I can get the job done and I have equal trust in him, then we can do magic, we can win whatever title.
“I don’t take my competitors for granted, they’re all great athletes,” he adds. “But I know me and I can only stick to what I know.
“I know that if I’m healthy and happy, I’m unstoppable.”
