Omar McLeod

"As a kid I remember being fearless. Back then I didn’t worry about expectations. I was unafraid. I was wild and free but also very driven and I played many different sports: cricket, basketball and soccer"

"I lived in a very disciplined, strict household, where we may not have had everything we wanted but we had everything we needed"

"We weren’t a rich family but growing up in that environment taught me life lessons about how to work hard and be grateful for what I have"

"Since I was young, I was never afraid of a challenge. I always wanted to test myself. I’d run against the older guys. At church I wanted to sing the most challenging songs. I was always keen to be around elders at bible studies because I wanted to learn more"

"In the streets I used to lay down buckets and cans to jump over in races. Sometimes I used to put one bucket on top of another just for the challenge. I was a crazy, wild kid and that fearlessness has grown with me as my track career has developed"

"I had injuries and I was becoming consumed by track and field"

"To fix this, I had to do some serious soul searching and ask what works for me. It was less a case of giving advice to my younger self; it was more about what I could learn as an adult from my younger self. How could I reconnect with that feeling of fearlessness? I realised to rediscover a happy Omar, I needed to be in a happy environment. This would help me become a healthy Omar which translates to a fast Omar"