National Record For McLeod

June 24, 2017

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Olympic gold medalist Omar McLeod carried on his trend of stunning the world, shattering the Jamaican 110-meter hurdles record with his 12.90-second performance at the 2017 Jamaican National Senior Championships in Kingston on Saturday evening.

A standout prep athlete prior to his time at the collegiate ranks, the dynamic hurdler had the opportunity to turn professional right out of high school. McLeod instead opted to mature in Fayetteville, Arkansas under the guidance of Razorbacks assistant coach Doug Case.

A Few Top McLeod Moments (Chronological)

March 2014 – NCAA Indoor 60mH Champion (7.58)
February 2015 – SEC Indoor 60mH Champion (7.49)
March 2015 – NCAA Indoor 60mH Champion and Record-Holder (7.45)
April 2015 – Drake Relays 110mH Champion (13.21)
June 2015 – NCAA Outdoor 110mH Champion (13.01w)
June 2015 – Jamaican 110mH Champion (12.97)
March 2016 – World Indoor 60mH Champion (7.41)
April 2016 – First to ever go sub-13 in 110mH and sub-10 in 100 (9.99)
May 2016 – Shanghai Diamond League 110mH Champion (12.98)
August 2016 – Olympic 110mH Gold Medalist (13.05)
Feb. 2017 – Set Jamaican Indoor 200 Record (20.48)

McLeod now ranks as fifth all-time best 110-meter hurdler in the world in the history of the event. He remains the world leader and is the only athlete this year to break the 13-second barrier. He is the fourth Jamaican Hog to qualify for the2017 IAAF World Championships, joining Kemoy Campbell (5,000), Kemar Mowatt (400 hurdles) and Clive Pullen (triple jump).

Arkansas men’s track and field volunteer assistant coach Andrew Irwin became the first Razorback to earn a spot on the United States’ world championships team off a strong pole vault finish at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships in Sacramento.

The Mt. Ida, Arkansas native vaulted to a silver medal with a personal best clearance of 5.75m/18-10 1/4 (1 inch improvement), which he sailed over on his first attempt at the bar. Prior to that height Irwin had registered three total misses in the competition, faltering slightly on the opening height and then twice at 5.50m/18-0 1/2. Following his third attempt success at the aforementioned height, Irwin cruised perfectly through the next four rounds, capping his weekend of competition on the podium alongside Olympian Sam Kendricks (first) and South Dakota’s Chris Nilsen (third). Irwin, Kendricks and Nilsen will travel to London, England this August, representing Team USA in the pole vault at the world championships.

“It took Andrew a couple bars to get his run worked out and to get on the right pole but after that he had one of his best days ever as a pole vaulter,” Case said. “He’s fought back from injuries and is jumping really well right now.”

On to the Next Round
Away from the field, Arkansas had three entries make it out of the 200-meter first round, including Kenzo Cotton, Tyson Gay and Marqueze Washington. Gay had the best time of the three, clocking 20.60 seconds in the event. Both Gay and Washington advanced to the semifinals with automatic bids from top-two finishes, while Cotton qualified off his time of 20.70. The sprint trio will take on the 200 semifinals tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. CT.

The final day of the championships will also see Stanley Kebenei and Jarrion Lawson representing the Razorbacks in the steeplechase and the long jump, respectively.

Date/Time: Sunday June 25, 2 p.m. CT
Venue: Sacramento State University (Hornet Stadium)
Important Links: Live Results
Broadcast Schedule: NBC

USATF Outdoor Championships
Day Three Results

200 Meters First Round
7. Tyson Gay – 20.60 Q
11. Kenzo Cotton – 20.70 Q
13. Marqueze Washington – 20.76 Q
23. Josh Washington – 21.00
28. Wallace Spearmon Jr. – 21.25

Pole Vault Finals
2. Andrew Irwin – 5.75m/18-10 1/4 (Worlds Qualifier)

Arkansas USATF Event Schedule
Sunday, June 25
2:00 p.m. – 200m Semifinals (K. Cotton, T. Gay, M. Washington)
2:10 p.m. – Long Jump Finals (Jarrion Lawson, Travonn White)
4:16 p.m. – Steeplechase Finals (Stanley Kebenei)
4:33 p.m. – 200m Finals (K. Cotton, T. Gay, M. Washington)

Italicized events require qualification.

For more information on Arkansas track and field including in-meet updates, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter.