Omar McLeod

Omar McLeod
McLeod at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships
Personal information
Born (1994-04-25) 25 April 1994[1]
Clarendon, Jamaica
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Sport
SportTrack
Events
Hurdles and sprints
College teamArkansas Razorbacks
TeamPUMA[2][3]
Turned pro
2015[2][3]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Jamaica
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de Janeiro110 m hurdles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2017 London110 m hurdles
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 Portland60 m hurdles
CACAC Junior Championships (U20)
Gold medal – first place2012 San Salvador4 × 400 m relay
CARIFTA Games (U20)
Gold medal – first place2013 Kingston400 m hurdles
Gold medal – first place2012 Hamilton400 m hurdles
Gold medal – first place2011 Montego Bay400 m hurdles
Silver medal – second place2013 Kingston110 m hurdles
Silver medal – second place2011 Montego Bay4 × 400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place2012 Hamilton4 × 400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place2011 Montego Bay110 m hurdles

Omar McLeod (born 25 April 1994) is a Jamaican professional hurdler and sprinter competing in the 60 m hurdles and 110 m hurdles. In the latter event, he is the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion. He was NCAA indoor champion in the 60 m hurdles in 2014 and 2015 and outdoor champion in the 110 m hurdles in 2015; he turned professional after the 2015 collegiate season, forgoing his two remaining years of collegiate eligibility. His personal best in the 110 m hurdles (12.90 seconds) ranks him equal 7th on the world all-time list.

Early career

McLeod was a promising high school athlete, running for Manchester High School and later Kingston College; during his early career, he competed in both the 110 m and 400 m hurdles.[11][12] He represented Jamaica at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Lille, qualifying for the finals in both hurdles events; he placed fourth in the 110 m hurdles and eighth in the 400 m hurdles.[11] At the CARIFTA Games, he won gold in the under-20 400 m hurdles for three consecutive years (2011, 2012 and 2013); he scored another five medals in the 110 m hurdles and 4 × 400 m relay including a relay gold in 2013.[13][14][15] He also won gold in the relay at the 2012 CAC Junior Championships in San Salvador.[14]

In 2013, his final year in high school, McLeod set Jamaican junior records in both the 110 m (13.24 s) and 400 m hurdles (49.98 s) at the Boys and Girls Championships; he was the first Jamaican high schooler to break 50 s in the latter.[11] After graduating from Kingston College, he went to the University of Arkansas on a track and field scholarship.[11]

Collegiate career

McLeod had no experience running indoors before his move to the United States, but adapted rapidly; he won the 60 m hurdles as a freshman at the 2014 NCAA indoor championships in Albuquerque with a personal best 7.57 s in the heats and 7.58 s in the final.[14][16] Outdoors, he placed second in the 110 m hurdles at both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships and West Regionals, but pulled a hamstring at the NCAA championships and missed the final.[16]

Omar McLeod racing at the 2016 Doha Diamond League meeting

McLeod returned to competition in 2015; he won the SEC indoor title in a personal best 7.49.[14] At the 2015 NCAA indoor championships he repeated as champion, running 7.55 in the heats and 7.45 in the final; his time in the final was a new Jamaican indoor record, broke Reggie Torian's NCAA record from 1997 and tied with Cuba's Orlando Ortega for the world's fastest time that winter.[14][17][18] Outdoors, McLeod set a personal best of 13.21 at the Drake Relays and won at both the SEC meet and the West Regionals.[14] He entered the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene as the favorite; he won, running 13.08 in the heats and 13.01 in the final, but both times were wind-aided.[19][20] Only two collegiate athlete, Renaldo Nehemiah in 1979, had run faster in any conditions.[20][21] In addition to his hurdles victory, McLeod ran on the Arkansas relay teams in both the 4 × 100 m relay and the 4 × 400 m relay; Arkansas won the 4 × 100 m in 38.47 and placed sixth in the longer relay.[14][20]

After the 2015 collegiate season McLeod turned professional and signed an endorsement deal with Nike, forgoing his two remaining years as an NCAA athlete; although he stayed at Arkansas to complete his business studies, he lost his eligibility to represent the Arkansas Razorbacks.[12][22]

Professional career

McLeod won the 110 m hurdles at the 2015 Jamaican Championships, defeating national record holder Hansle Parchment in a wind-legal 12.97 and breaking 13 seconds for the first time; the time was world-leading for a week.[23] He made his debut as a professional at the István Gyulai Memorial in Székesfehérvár on 7 July, but pulled up with a cramp and failed to finish.[24] At the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, he finished 6th in finals with 13.18. (2015 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 110 metres hurdles)

At the start of the 2016 outdoor season, he ran 9.99 seconds for the 100 metres, becoming the first athlete to complete the 110 m hurdles in under 13 seconds and also break the 10-second barrier.[25]

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he won Gold in the 110 m hurdles.

Based on his outstanding athletic performance, McLeod was crowned Jamaica's 2017 Sportsman of the Year. During 2017, he won six of seven 110 m hurdles races, including the gold in London (2017 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles).

At the 2019 World Championships, McLeod was disqualified in the final for a lane violation, impeding Orlando Ortega. Ortega was second in the 110 metres hurdles until McLeod stumbled into him and arrested his momentum.[26] After the appeal of the Spanish Federation, the IAAF awarded Ortega with a bronze medal.[27]

Since 2018, after experiencing personal setbacks and tragedies, he struggles to return to top form. [28][29][30]

Statistics

Information from IAAF profile or Track & Field Results Reporting System unless otherwise noted.[31][32]

Personal bests

EventTime (s)CompetitionVenueDateNotes
60 m6.61Arkansas QualifierFayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.17 February 2017
60 m hurdles7.41World Indoor ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon, U.S.20 March 2016WL, NR [4][5]
100 m9.99John McDonnell InvitationalFayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.23 April 2016+2.0 m/s wind
110 m hurdles12.90Jamaican ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica24 June 2017+0.7 m/s wind, WL, NR, CR [7][8]
200 m20.48Arkansas QualifierFayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.17 February 2017Indoor
400 m47.41Arkansas InvitationalFayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.9 January 2015Indoor
400 m hurdles49.98Jamaican Secondary School ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica15 March 2013NJR, CR [9][10]
4 × 100 m relay38.17Texas RelaysAustin, Texas, U.S.1 April 2017
4 × 200 m relay1:20.87Texas RelaysAustin, Texas, U.S.1 April 2017
4 × 400 m relay3:03.89Drake RelaysDes Moines, Iowa, U.S.26 April 2014
4 × 400 m relay indoor3:04.94SEC Indoor ChampionshipsCollege Station, Texas, U.S.1 March 2014

Seasonal bests

Year60 metres hurdles110 metres hurdles
2011—14.10
2012—13.83
2013—13.24
20147.5713.44
20157.4512.97
20167.4112.98
20177.4612.90
20187.4613.16
2019—13.07

International championship results

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeWind (m/s)Notes
Representing  Jamaica
2011CARIFTA Games (U20)Montego Bay, Jamaica1st400 m hurdles52.42n/aPB
3rd110 m hurdles14.10−0.8PB
2nd4 × 400 m relay3:09.41n/aPB
World Youth ChampionshipsVilleneuve-d'Ascq, France4th110 m hurdles13.61+0.1PB
8th400 m hurdles52.82n/a
DNSMedley relay—n/a
2012CARIFTA Games (U20)Hamilton, Bermuda1st400 m hurdles52.35n/a
3rd4 × 400 m relay3:12.48n/aSB
CACAC Junior Championships (U20)San Salvador, El Salvador1st4 × 400 m relay3:08.94n/aPB
World Junior ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain1st (semi 1)4 × 400 m relay3:08.83n/aQ[note 1], PB
2013CARIFTA Games (U20)Nassau, The Bahamas1st400 m hurdles51.46n/a
2nd110 m hurdles13.57NWI
2015World ChampionshipsBeijing, China6th110 m hurdles13.18+0.1
2016World Indoor ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon, U.S.1st60 m hurdles7.41n/aWL, NR [4][5]
Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil1st110 m hurdles13.05+0.2
2017World ChampionshipsLondon, England1st110 m hurdles13.040.0
DNF4 × 100 m relay—n/aTeammate injury [33]
2019World ChampionshipsDoha, QatarDQ110 m hurdles—+0.6Impeding competitors [34]

National championship results

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeWind (m/s)Notes
Representing Manchester High School
2012Jamaican Secondary School Championships (U19)Kingston, Jamaica3rd400 m hurdles51.30n/aPB
4th110 m hurdles14.66−6.3
Jamaican Junior ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica3rd400 m hurdles51.16n/aPB
3rd110 m hurdles13.83−1.8PB
Representing Kingston College
2013Jamaican CARIFTA Trials (U20)Kingston, Jamaica1st400 m hurdles51.05n/aPB
Jamaican Secondary School Championships (U19)Kingston, Jamaica1st400 m hurdles49.98n/aNJR, CR, PB [9][10]
1st110 m hurdles13.24+0.4NJR, CR, PB [9][10]
Representing the Arkansas Razorbacks
2014NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.1st60 m hurdles7.58n/aA
3rd4 × 400 m relay3:06.29n/a
NCAA Division I ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon, U.S.DNF (semi 3)110 m hurdles—+0.2Injury [9]
2015NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsFayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.1st60 m hurdles7.45n/aWL, NR, NCAAR, CR, PB [35][36]
8th4 × 400 m relay3:08.04n/a
NCAA Division I ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon, U.S.1st110 m hurdles13.01 w+3.9Wind-assisted
1st4 × 100 m relay38.47n/aPB
6th4 × 400 m relay3:05.91n/a
Jamaican ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica1st110 m hurdles12.97+1.0WL, CR, PB [37]
Representing Nike
2016Jamaican ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica1st110 m hurdles13.01+0.4
2017Jamaican ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica1st110 m hurdles12.90+0.7WL, NR, CR, PB [7][8]

Circuit performances

Representing Nike

Grand Slam Track results[38]
SlamRace groupEventPl.TimePrize money
2025 Kingston SlamShort hurdles 110 m hurdles6th13.38US$12,500
100 m6th10.73

110 metres hurdles

Track records

As of 7 September 2024, McLeod holds the following track records for 110 metres hurdles.

Location Time Windspeed
m/s		 Date
Coral Gables, Florida13.27+0.209/04/2022
Florence13.01–0.110/06/2021
Irvine13.11+1.414/05/2021
Kingston, Jamaica12.90+0.724/06/2017
Rio de Janeiro13.05+0.216/08/2016
Starkville13.28+1.916/05/2015

Notes

  1. ↑ Did not run in the final.

References

  1. 1 2 "Omar McLeod". Olympedia.org. OlyMADmen. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 Taylor Dutch (15 July 2015). "Family and Killer Instincts Guide Omar McLeod Into Pro Career". flotrack.org. FloTrack. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 Paul A. Reid (26 June 2015). "Omar McLeod to go pro later this month". jamaicaobserver.com. The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Erik C. Anderson (20 March 2016). "Jamaica's Omar McLeod wins mens 60-meter hurdles at 2016 World Indoor Championships". oregonlive.com. The Oregonian. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Paul Reid (20 March 2016). "#WorldIndoors: McLeod wins 60mH in World leading time". jamaicaobserver.com. The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  6. ↑ Phil Minshull (24 April 2016). "Hurdler McLeod makes history as a barrier breaker after 9.99 100m win". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 Kayon Raynor (24 June 2017). "Athletics: Olympic champion McLeod sets sizzling 110m hurdles pace". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 "Omar McLeod: Olympic gold medallist sets sights on 110m hurdles world record". bbc.com. BBC. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 André Lowe (30 December 2014). "Freshman McLeod Creates Big Impression". jamaica-gleaner.com. The Gleaner. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Steve Landells (11 June 2017). "That moment when… McLeod came top of his class". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Graham, Raymond (4 August 2013). "McLeod to attend University of Arkansas". The Sunday Gleaner. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 Reid, Paul A. (26 June 2015). "Omar McLeod to go pro later this month". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  13. ↑ Graham, Raymond (April 2013). "Jamaicans continue to dominate at Carifta". The Gleaner.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Omar McLeod at Tilastopaja (subscription required)
  15. ↑ "110 Metres Hurdles - men - senior - outdoor - All time best". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Freshman McLeod creates big impression". The Gleaner. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  17. ↑ Minshull, Phil (15 March 2015). "World leads for Bromell, Dendy and McLeod at NCAA Indoor Champs". Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  18. ↑ Rorick, Jim. "Collegiate Indoor All-Time List - Men". Track & Field News. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  19. ↑ Auka, John (2 June 2015). "NCAA Formchart—Men". Track & Field News. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 Maiman, Beth (13 June 2015). "Arkansas Omar McLeod wins two titles behind memory of his aunt". NCAA.com. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  21. ↑ Rorick, Jim. "Collegiate Outdoor All-Time List - Men". Track & Field News. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  22. ↑ Ekema-Agbaw, Joy (6 July 2015). "McLeod to Represent Nike on the Professional Circuit". Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  23. ↑ Levy, Leighton (29 June 2015). "Win takes McLeod closer to Beijing goal". The Gleaner. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  24. ↑ Reid, Paul A. (8 July 2015). "VCB clocks first sub-11 in Hungary 100m win". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  25. ↑ Ramsak, Bob (2016-04-24). Hurdler McLeod makes history as a barrier breaker after 9.99 100m win. IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-04-24.
  26. ↑ Carayol, Tumaini (2 October 2019). "World Athletics Championships 2019: Asher-Smith wins 200m gold – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  27. ↑ Homewood, Brian (3 October 2019). "Athletics: Spain's Ortega gets bronze after IAAF agree he was impeded". Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  28. ↑ "McLeod and new coach confident of making magic happen in Doha". Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  29. ↑ "'UNREALISTIC PEDESTAL'Omar McLeod shares feelings on public pressure, World Champs aims". Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  30. ↑ ""My Heart (Breaks)": Alaysha Johnson Ignores US-Jamaica Rivalry to Support 30-Year-Old Track & Field Athlete's Struggle". Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  31. ↑ "OMAR MCLEOD ATHLETE PROFILE". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  32. ↑ "OMAR MCLEOD JAMAICA". tfrrs.org. Track & Field Results Reporting System. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  33. ↑ Chris Chavez (17 August 2017). "Usain Bolt Reveals Left Hamstring Tear From Final Race At World Championships". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  34. ↑ "110 Metres Hurdles Men - Final" (PDF). IAAF. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  35. ↑ "Omar McLeod of Arkansas Breaks 18-Year Old NCAA Record in Men's 60 Hurdles, Gets Jamaican Mark as Well". letsrun.com. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  36. ↑ "McLeod lowers two records on way to NCAA glory". trackalerts.com. 15 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  37. ↑ Kayon Raynor; Greg Stutchbury (27 June 2015). "McLeod upsets Parchment in 110m hurdles in Jamaica trials". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  38. ↑ "Grand Slam Track Results". Grand Slam Track. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
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