Every Olympic athlete has that one coach who’s practically glued to their side, putting in just as much work behind the scenes. For Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, that’s been Reynaldo Walcott since 2020. Under his guidance, Shelly-Ann has been unstoppable—securing her fifth world title in the 100m in 2022 and running a personal best of 10.60 seconds, which landed her at No. 3 on the all-time list.

Walcott, now the head coach of Elite Performance Track Club (EPTC), has worked with some of the fastest women in history. Before EPTC, he was part of the MVP Track Club, the same club where Shelly-Ann first made a name for herself. Despite Shelly-Ann’s retirement from track and field, Walcott’s career path continues to look bright because he has other training members to support him.

In addition to coaching stars like Fraser-Pryce and Thompson-Herah, Reynaldo Walcott has worked with top hurdlers such as Rasheed Broadbell, Rushell Clayton, and Megan Tapper. While many athletes have found great success under Walcott’s guidance, it seems that a 25-year-old with one Olympic medal is ready to make a change. Despite Walcott’s impressive experience—having started his career in the junior track and field circles as the head coach of St. Elizabeth Technical High School and valuing his “priceless” experience—this athlete has decided to leave Walcott’s coaching and join a new track club.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s former coach left heartbroken

According to Coach’s Desk TV, Stacey-Ann Williams has recently made a significant move in her athletic journey. You might recall her presence from the 2020 Summer Olympics when she competed on the 4x400m relay team. She decided to leave Performance Track Club Elite and coach Reynaldo Walcott to join to new club!

Stacey-Ann has joined the Hurdles Mechanic training group in Arkansas where World U20 Champion Alana Reid also trains. So, Stacey will be training under Larence Johnson. However, she hasn’t shared her reasons for leaving the previous club yet but it’s clear she wants to take her athletic career to new heights. She has already earned two world silver medals in 4x400m events and two U20 world championship medals.

Walcott, the coach she’s moving on from, has had quite the reputation in track and field. He’s been training sprinters professionally since 2016. Elite Performance, while still relatively young, has already produced some serious success, with multiple World and Olympic medals. . A post on X by Owens pointed out that while the club faced challenges like injuries last season, it’s important to remember all the success they’ve had in such a short time.

Now, Walcott’s team has shrunk a bit, with only a few big athletes left, like Rushell Clayton, a two-time world 400m hurdles bronze medalist. He’s definitely hoping to rebuild and bring in fresh talent to keep Elite Performance competitive. While 2024 may not have been the best year for the club, there’s still hope that they’ll bounce back and continue to produce top-level athletes. With such a strong foundation, Walcott’s future in coaching is far from over—it’s just a matter of regrouping and seeing where the next chapter takes him.