Bennett backs Reid for bigger things

Veteran local coach Corey Bennett has expressed satisfaction with sprinter Alana Reid’s performance in the just concluded season and expects the Commonwealth Games 200m bronze medallist to continue improving in 2027 if she remains healthy and focused.

Bennett, who coached Reid during her high school career at Hydel High, guided the 21-year-old for the first time at the professional level following her return to Jamaica from overseas.

Reid secured her first senior global individual medal at the Commonwealth Games, clocking 22.56 seconds to claim bronze.

Bennett said there was an adjustment period when Reid returned to Jamaica, particularly as they worked to get her accustomed to his training programme.

“It took a bit of adjusting because when she came back we had to get her back into the kind of mood as to how we train out here, and it took a little while. We started out training late - I think we started sometime in November - and she came along eventually, and the results at the end of the season were decent,” said Bennett.

He noted that they opted to focus on the 200m during Reid’s first season back under his guidance, as he believed the event would allow her to regain some of the development she may have missed after leaving high school.

“I don’t think she did much since leaving high school, to be honest, and I think that she is more a complete sprinter when she has a good, solid 200m, so we thought it was best to just focus on the 200m for the first year,” he said.

“I don’t know where that will lead us because she seems to be doing well at the 200m, so it may be her primary event eventually,” he said.

“That (Commonwealth Games bronze) was icing on the cake at the end of the season. She really dug deep and got that bronze, but it was a pretty long season.”

Bennett noted that Reid’s medal-winning performance should also give her greater belief that she belongs at the highest level of the sport.

“That (medal) should open her eyes and make her believe that she belongs on this elite stage and at this level, and she only can get better from here going forward,” he said.

“You can’t reap what you did not sow. She put in some work, and she got some results and also got a PB (personal best time) along the way, and I hope she continues to work from here and continue to improve come next season,” Bennett underscored.

Reid, the national junior record holder for the 100m at 10.92, clocked a personal best 22.29 for the 200m to earn her first national senior title in June.