Nathon Allen, the silver medallist at the Olympics, is in the middle of a media frenzy after rumors about his retirement surfaced. After Rori Dunk posted a tweet claiming that Allen had announced his retirement, rumors started to circulate. There was a stir in the track and field community after the tweet lauded their outstanding legacies.
Allen, though, quickly denied these assertions. In an Instagram story, he wrote, “Please stop spreading false information about me. Thank you.” Along with Allen, the handle also informed about the retirement of another Jamaican sprinter.
The post noted, “Jamaican sprinters Rasheed Dwyer and Nathon Allen have announced their retirement from athletics.” In addition, Dunk celebrated their successes in a tweet, mentioning Allen’s national championship wins and silver medal from the Olympics. Although the accolades were well-deserved, the track and field community and fans were unnecessarily confused and concerned by the factual mistake.
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Henry Rolle was Allen’s coach at Auburn University. In the 400 meters, he placed fifth in the individual finals at the 2017 World Championships. However, unsupported claims have a serious negative impact on an athlete’s career and mental health. Thus, for Allen, the untrue retirement story represented not only a misinterpretation but also an issue in his career.
Track and field icon Rasheed Dwyer’s thoughts on retirement
Although Allen’s retirement announcement was untrue, Rasheed Dwyer did make his retirement known. Dwyer had a successful track and field career. Among his noteworthy accomplishments are his gold medals in the 200 meters at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 Summer Universiade. Even as a junior, Dwyer has been a well-known figure in sports. He made his senior debut at the 2010 NACAC Under-23 Games by placing third in the 200 meters. He kept improving, achieving a personal best in 2014 at the Continental Cup with 19.98 seconds.
Furthermore, he has won 4x national crowns and represented his senior squad in three World Championships and three World Relays. Additionally, he competed for Jamaica in the 2020 Summer Olympics. At the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year, he made his most recent appearance for the senior squad. Dwyer expressed gratitude to everyone who had helped him throughout the years.
Dwyer told, The Sunday Gleaner about his decision, saying, “I am getting older and I think this is the right time to pass on the baton to the younger generation as there are many of them, including the likes of Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake and Sandrey Davison, who, I think, are ready to continue with the success of the country’s men’s sprinting and I have no regrets.” Moreover, he acknowledged the assistance he had during his career and thanked his sponsors, the SprinTec track team, and coach Maurice Wilson.
