The ‘Warrior child’ Omar McLeod has always been in search of a base. His former coach Edrick Floreal pointed out several factors to push him to success. But that story didn’t continue, as Floreal had to part ways with Omar McLeod after the latter failed in searching for a base. Later, several names faced the same fate while Omar started to lose ground with his shaky performances.

After facing a heartbreak in the Tokyo Olympics trial, things went south for him and it continued until mid-2023. Then, the Jamaican sprinter tasted something new. In that timeline, Omar McLeod shifted his camp from Jacksonville, Florida to Purdue, Italy. And now, the athlete can feel relief and the reason is also stunning. 

Meet the coach of Omar McLeod

Last week, Omar McLeod had to witness himself losing in the 110m hurdles event final in the Jamaican trials. Now he will have to spend another four years searching for an Olympic berth. But Omar is thinking about that. Rather, he wants to look beyond. “Maybe not hurdles, because to be honest, I fell out of love with hurdles because I’ve won everything in hurdles at a young age, and it was very hard to find motivation for hurdles,” he explained as the reason to Sports Max. Now he wants to shift to sprinting under the tutelage of his new coach, Marco Airale. 

In the last few years, Marco Airale has emerged to be Omar McLeod’s sixth coach. However, the Italian trainer has been able to motivate the athlete in a way that his prior coaches could not. Notably, before coming to Marco’s training camp in Padua, Omar trained under Petros Kyprianou in his Olympic training group. But a change in result did not enable McLeod to follow him as the former Jamaican national champion couldn’t clear the 2022 World Championships trials. 

In 2023, the situation went downhill, as Omar McLeod did not participate in the World Athletics Championships trials. But after stepping into the Padua camp, Omar McLeod felt the vibe return. He also found fellow Jamaican athlete Brittany Anderson at the same camp. With the vigor propelling him, he found his joy to sprint to glory.

Ultimately, that feeling led him to add, “So, the fact that I am here and I had a season best is a win. It’s a win in so many ways, and I can’t even explain it,” despite his defeat in the Olympic trials. Subsequently, he is looking forward to trying himself out in a different league. 

The wealth of experience under coach Marco Airale 

Marco Airale has always been underrated despite coordinating with names like Daryll Neita, Jeremiah Azu, Amy Hunt, and Reece Prescod. But he has been successful enough to make Omar McLeod glean from a hurdler’s perspective. Now, after being motivated by that, Omar wants to try the 100m sprint event. 

In the past, he made his mark on the sprint event. Moreover, his best timing touches 9.99 seconds in the 100m sprint, making him the only athlete to run under 10 seconds in the 100m and under 13 seconds in the 110m hurdles. Cherishing that achievement, the 30-year-old says, “You’ve seen the indoors and the progression that I’ve had over the years, so it’s there. I have always known that, but I’ve never gotten the opportunity and the chance to really explore that, and I really want that for myself.”

And he believes that is quite possible under Marco Airale’s coaching as here he has all the familiar faces to keep him company. They also add to a positive work environment. Furthermore, the legendary Glen Mills has also backed him on his wish to try sprinting. Now the ball is in Marco Airale’s court to groom Omar McLeod to the hilt.