Leon Reid is a male track and field sprinter that competes for Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Born in the West Country, England, Reid won silver medals for Great Britain at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships and 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships. He also won a relay silver medal for England at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. He later decided to represent Northern Ireland – the nation of his mother's birth – and made his international debut for them at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He attempted to transfer his allegiance to represent Ireland, but this move was blocked following a temporary freeze on such moves by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Once the freeze was lifted, Reid began competing for Ireland, with his first event the 2018 European Championships.

Reid took bronze in the men's 200 metres at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Initially he finished 4th, but was elevated when Zharnel Hughes was disqualified for a lane violation. This was the first Commonwealth Games athletics medal for Northern Ireland in 28 years.

 

Leon Reid

Professional Athlete

Growing up life was turbulent for the young track and field athlete, Leon Field. He lived in 14 different foster homes around the English midlands and West Country area, and had numerous different brothers, sisters and parents growing up. His Belfast-born birth mother Anne-Marie, died in 2016, though he had been living with his adoptive Wexford-born mum Claire Russell since the age of 11.  Despite his difficult start, Reid has risen to the top of his sport and has set his sights on Tokyo 2020.

 

Leon Reid is a male track and field sprinter that competes for Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Born in the West Country, England, Reid won silver medals for Great Britain at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, 2013 European Athletics Junior Championships and 2015 European Athletics U23 Championships. He also won a relay silver medal for England at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. He later decided to represent Northern Ireland – the nation of his mother's birth – and made his international debut for them at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He attempted to transfer his allegiance to represent Ireland, but this move was blocked following a temporary freeze on such moves by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Once the freeze was lifted, Reid began competing for Ireland, with his first event the 2018 European Championships.

Reid took bronze in the men's 200 metres at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Initially he finished 4th, but was elevated when Zharnel Hughes was disqualified for a lane violation. This was the first Commonwealth Games athletics medal for Northern Ireland in 28 years.

 

“My mentality is just different, I didn’t like the easy way out. I wasn’t going to be another one of them. When you’re in childcare, they just judge you. You get put in a house and they go, ‘Oh, they’re from this family.’ I wasn’t going to succumb to those sort of temptations"  


Leon Reid on how he hopes people with similarly difficult upbringings can learn from his story.
 

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