For most sprinters, a 9.96-second personal best is the defining peak of a career. For Tyquendo Tracey, the 2018 Jamaican 100-metre national champion, it was merely the opening act of a story that refuses to be confined to a single track.
Today, Tracey is standing on the precipice of a historic transformation.
With the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics just weeks away, the man who, for moments, dominated the grass and synthetic tracks of Jamaica is now preparing to bring his “need for speed” to the ice as a powerhouse in the Jamaican bobsleigh team.
Tracey’s athletic journey is rooted in the fertile soil of Trelawny – a parish synonymous with speed thanks to icons like Usain Bolt – and in the rugged plains of Clarendon.
Growing up, before the track claimed him, Tracey lived and breathed football – a sport embedded in his family history. His cousin, Stephen Young, for instance, now plies his trade for Portmore United in the country’s top football competition, the Jamaica Premier League.
However, a pivotal intervention by coach Errol Powell shifted his trajectory forever.
“Stop wasting time with football and come to track and field,” Powell told him, citing his natural speed and explosiveness.
To that call, Tracey answered, eventually becoming a two-time national 100m champion and a staple of Jamaican sprinting.
But after an injury sidelined him during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, a new challenge emerged: bobsledding.
Brutal transition
Initially hesitant while recovering from his track injury, Tracey reconsidered this new adventure in late 2024. The transition was physically brutal.
“You’re in a sled with no cushions, just carbon fibre going 150km an hour down a hill taking sharp curves,” Tracey shared.
“Then something would knock you left, right, and centre … it is rough, but I mean, I have a need for speed.”
That need drove him to his debut at the 2025 IBSF World Championships, where he stunned the field, proving that his elite track skills translate effortlessly to the ice.
What separates Tracey from his peers is a mindset shaped not just by the gym but by the classroom. Holding a degree in construction management from the University of Technology, Jamaica, he views his athletic career through the lens of a project manager.
Step one comes through proper planning. He likens preparing for a race to prepping land for construction – if the initial phase is flawed, the structure won’t hold. His academic background has gainfully fostered a “no-panic” attitude. When conditions change, be it as simple as a false start or as complex as an injury, he quickly assesses if a problem can be fixed and moves forward. He treats his physical capabilities as resources to be managed and timed for maximum efficiency.
Lifespan ambassador
Since September 2021, Tracey has served as the first athlete ambassador for Lifespan Spring Water. For him, this isn’t a typical sponsorship. It is a family bond that has supported him through the “highs and lows” of his career transition.
“We are more than just a brand supporting an athlete,” says Nayana Williams, CEO and managing director of Lifespan.
“With Tyquendo, it is about joining a family. We wanted an ambassador who understands executing excellence, and he embodies that focus every single day.”
This partnership has impacted Tracey’s daily non-negotiable ritual: hydration. He credits Lifespan’s natural calcium and potassium content as vital contributory tools for his health and avoiding the cramps that usually plague high-intensity athletes. His ambassadorship with Lifespan has also had a humanitarian edge.
Following Hurricane Melissa, Tracey leveraged his partnership with Lifespan to facilitate water distribution to hard-hit communities across Jamaica, ensuring that the brand’s new, more accessible bottle sizes reached those in need.
Looking forward in the year 2026, Tracey’s immediate goal is clear: the 2026 Winter Olympics.
As part of Jamaica’s four-man sled team, Tracey is hungry to break the ice and secure Jamaica’s first-ever Winter Olympic podium finish. But his vision for 2026 extends beyond the ice: athletic redevelopment.
After the Winter Games, he plans to return to his track roots with a new team, Michael Frater Dynamic Athletics Club, focusing on personal redevelopment to remain competitive for several more years. He aims to maintain his bobsledding performance at its current elite level while reclaiming his dominance in the 100m and 200m.
Tracey is no longer just a sprinter. He is a strategist, a humanitarian, and a winter pioneer. Whether he is on the synthetic track or the frozen pipe, his message remains the same: never stop evolving.
