Trinidad and Tobago’s sprint sensation Olympian Leah Bertrand is riding a wave of belief, form, and purpose after running a personal best 10.92 in the semi-finals of the NCAA Division 1 100m Championships last weekend, securing her status as the third-fastest woman in her country’s history behind icons Michelle-Lee Ahye (10.82) and Kelly-Ann Baptiste (10.84).
Despite narrowly missing the top of the podium in the final, Bertrand’s consistency and growth this season have set her firmly among the Caribbean’s rising elite.
The 22-year-old Ohio State University senior finished fifth in the 100m final, clocking 11.21 in a race that saw USC’s Samirah Moody edge South Carolina’s JaMeesia Ford for the win—both timed at 11.14—with LSU’s Tima Godbless and Florida’s Anthaya Charlton rounding out the podium in 11.19. Bertrand followed just two-hundredths of a second behind.
“I feel so grateful,” Bertrand told Sportsmax.TV following the championship. “All the hard work I’ve put in—and my family’s support—it’s all paying off. Looking back to when I first started, I never thought I could run 10.9. That just seemed crazy to me.”
Her 10.92 wasn’t a sudden breakthrough—it was the result of steady, incremental gains. Bertrand ran 11.38 in 2022, then improved to 11.08 in both 2023 and 2024 before finally dipping under the barrier in 2025.
“I feel like the past two years I have been ready to run 10.9,” she said. “Even the first time I ran 11.08, everybody around me was like, ‘You know you could go sub-11, right?’ So now it’s just the pieces finally falling into place.”
“I didn’t do anything drastically different,” she added. “I just stayed consistent and trusted the process. I showed up every day to practice. It was just my time.”
A big part of Bertrand’s evolution stems from her experience representing Trinidad and Tobago at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“Competing at those big meets really boosted my confidence,” she said. “The NCAA is intense, but the times are similar to global championships. Having that experience allowed me to approach these collegiate races with more composure. I wasn’t overwhelmed—I knew what to expect.”
That maturity showed throughout the 2025 NCAA season, which began with a strong indoor campaign including a 7.19 clocking over 60m. Though disappointed not to medal in the outdoor final, Bertrand is looking ahead with renewed focus, especially with the World Athletics Championships set for Tokyo this September.
With just over two months until Worlds, Bertrand is prioritizing recovery and refinement. “After nationals, it’s about taking a step back, letting my body reset, but still staying sharp,” she said. “This is my fourth year doing a post-collegiate season, so I know how to manage that balance now.”
One specific area she’s targeting? Her start.
“For me, it’s always been the start of my race,” she admitted. “During championship season, you don’t really get time to fix technique, but now with 2 and half months, I can really work on it. I’m hoping to come out and run something even faster than 10.9.”
Bertrand credits much of her track development to her coach Joel Brown, but her earliest inspiration came from fellow Trinidadian Kelly-Ann Baptiste.
“When I was in secondary school, I’d watch her races online. She had a personality like mine—calm and focused—and she really inspired me. Once I came to Ohio State, I also looked up to Anavia Battle. Seeing her success helped me believe I could thrive too.”
Having just graduated with a degree in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and a minor in Nutrition, Bertrand has clear plans for life after sprinting. “I’m looking into becoming a physician assistant in sports medicine,” she said. “I want to stay close to the sports world even after my track career ends.”
But first, she’s determined to leave her mark on the global stage—and she knows she’s not alone.
“There was a time when it felt like we in Trinidad didn’t have someone leading the way after Kelly-Ann retired,” she said. “But now, with people like Jereem [Richards], the Fredericks, and others coming up, I feel like we’re rebuilding. There’s so much talent in Trinidad—we just need to believe in it and support each other. I don’t think we’re ‘down.’ I think we’re rising again.”
As the track world turns its attention to Tokyo, don’t be surprised if Leah Bertrand turns more heads—and perhaps clocks another historic time in the process.