Reid goes home to Bennett

NATIONAL JUNIOR female 100-metre record holder Alana Reid has returned to the island and is now training with her former high-school coach, Corey Bennett.

The Gleaner has been reliably informed Reid, who holds the national junior record of 10.92 seconds, has been training at the Ashenheim Stadium, Jamaica College (JC). Bennett currently serves as the sprint and hurdles coach at JC.

Bennett has had huge success with Reid in the past, as he was responsible for guiding her to the national junior record in 2023 when she was the standout athlete at Hydel High School at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

Efforts to get a comment from Bennett proved futile, as several calls to his mobile phone went unanswered. Meanwhile, Reid’s agent, Dwight ‘Bigga’ Thomas, declined to comment on the matter.

Reid was coached by the American Dennis Mitchell at the Star Athletics Track club in 2024. The club included former 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson.

The talented sprinter, who made Jamaica’s team to the Paris Olympic Games last year, was part of the women’s 4x100-metre relay squad that finished fifth in the final. However, she later rebounded in style, winning the World Under-20 100m title and helped Jamaica to capture gold in the 4x100m relay at the championships in Lima, Peru.

Last season, Reid, 20, was coached by Lawrence ‘Boogie’ Johnson at the University of Arkansas in the United States. Her decision to return home to train with Bennett marks a reunion between athlete and coach, who previously enjoyed remarkable success together.

R.B.