Spot Valley High’s Tyrese Reid eyes American college circuit
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – Spot Valley High’s Tyrese Reid says he wants to test himself on the American college circuit next year.
Reid completed his junior career on Saturday, when he placed seventh in men’s 800-m final at the 20th Pan American Under-20 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica.
After qualifying for the final with a 1 minute 52.29 seconds-time on Friday night, placing third in his semi-final, Reid, who qualified along with teammate Tyrice Taylor, could only manage 1:54.27 seconds in the final.
“I came out with a plan to run my own race, but it did not work out the way I planned,” he told the Jamaica Observer West.
“The plan was to go out and stay composed and relaxed, but my muscles got tight at around the 600-metre mark.”
Despite his disappointment, Reid was still happy with his season, where he got personal bests in the 800m (1:49.30 seconds); 3:55.38 seconds in the 1500m; as well as the 100m (11.24 seconds); 200m (22.06 seconds) and in the 400m, 48.45 seconds.
“This is my best year, and I am happy for what I have done,” said Reid, who also won a silver medal in the Class 1 1500m at the ISSA Champs, and was a finalist in the Class 1800m.
Reid also won both the 800m and 1500m at the Western Championships.
Reid praised his coach Kerron Grant for “taking me from nowhere to where I am now,” and for guiding him to win the Under-20 1,500m at the CARIFTA Games in the Cayman Islands in April.
The athlete, who hails from the hills of St James, says he is now casting his eyes on bigger and hopefully better things.
“I hope that I can secure a scholarship to go away to school and continue to improve. My parents and I have talked about it, and we think that that would be best for me. I know that I will have to work much harder, but I know that I am ready, and I will go up against people who are better than I am, and that will help me to get better as well,” he argued.
The athlete, who won a silver medal in the Mixed 4x400m Relays at the 2017, International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, after failing to get past the first round of the 800m, says he has had several offers from different schools, and could soon make a decision as to which one to take up.
