Jaiden Reid had a busy Friday night in Eugene. The 21-year-old LSU sprinter from the Cayman Islands ran the fastest 200 meters in NCAA history, winning the national title in 19.63 seconds at Hayward Field on June 12, the third night of the 2026 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The time erased a mark that had stood since 2007, when Florida State’s Walter Dix ran 19.69. It was also Reid’s first time under 20 seconds, and the quickest 200m run anywhere in the world in 2026.
“To be honest with you, the plan, like I said in the heats, was just to execute,” Reid said after the race, according to Olympics.com. “I know once I executed, it was going to be a good day.”
He had entered the final as the top qualifier, but he was not expecting the clock to read what it did.
“I was really expecting a 19.9, maybe a 20.01 like I did at regionals, but thank God,” Reid said. “It’s surreal, I still can’t believe it really, I’m still in shock.”
A heavy week of racing
The 200m final came only hours after Reid finished second in the men’s 100m, clocking a wind-aided 9.82 behind Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi. He also ran a leg on LSU’s 4×100 relay, which placed second in a season-best 38.06 alongside Jeremiah Walker, Shakeem McKay and Joshua Caleb.
By the time he stepped onto the line for the half-lap, his legs had already been through plenty. He thinks it cost him a tenth or two.
“To be honest with you, I feel like if I just ran the 200 alone, I probably would have gone a little bit faster,” Reid said. “The 100 and the 4×100 was a lot on my body, especially doing it twice in one week.”
For context, Reid’s 19.63 still trails Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19, and sits outside the times that earned Noah Lyles his Olympic bronze in Paris. But for a collegiate athlete carrying triple-duty fatigue, the gap is striking.
Nigeria’s Israel Okon took silver in the 200m in 19.99. American Trelee Banks rounded out the podium with a personal best of 20.02.
LSU’s big jump in the team race
Reid alone produced 20 of LSU’s 42 points across the meet, with 10 from the 100m, eight from the 200m and two from the relay. The Tigers finished fourth overall, a sharp climb from last season’s 28th-place finish on 11.3 points, according to Tiger Rag.
Elsewhere for LSU, Matthew Sophia closed his collegiate career with eighth in the 110m hurdles in 13.50. Amal Glasgow took eighth in the 400m in 45.14, and Chad Hendricks placed 24th in the discus with a throw of 181 feet, nine inches. The 4×400 relay of Glasgow, McKay, Grant Buckmiller and Malachi Austin came home second in 2:57.96.
Arkansas claimed the men’s team title with 56 points. Georgia took second with 49 and Tennessee third with 42. LSU’s women race the championship finals on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
For Reid, the night ends a junior season that has him sitting on top of the world list for raw speed and gives the rest of the sprinting field something to think about heading into the international summer. Anyone curious about the kind of training that produces times like these will be watching what comes next.
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