Born simply 5 minutes aside within the quiet district of Grange Hill, Westmoreland, Tina and Tia Clayton have grown into two of Jamaica’s brightest sprinting prospects. Similar twins on the highest degree of athletics are a rarity, however the Claytons have turned their shared expertise right into a outstanding journey that has carried them from faculty competitions to the brink of world stardom.
The Claytons’ journey started nicely earlier than their teenage years. At simply 9 years previous, they have been already making an impression on the JTA/Sagicor Nationwide Main Colleges Championships. Among the many spectators was Michael Dyke, head coach of Edwin Allen Excessive, who immediately recognised their potential. “I noticed them competing within the under-nine class,” Dyke remembered. “From there, I spoke to their mom about becoming a member of my programme at Edwin Allen when the time was proper.”
When the twins finally moved from Westmoreland to Frankfield, Clarendon, to coach beneath Coach Dyke, their affect was speedy. On February 26, 2019, Tia surprised the monitor world with a blistering 11.37 seconds (+1.7 m/s) on the Digicel Central Championships, setting a brand new world U15 finest. Barely a month later, Tina went even quicker, clocking 11.27 seconds (+1.4 m/s) to defeat her sister of their first head-to-head showdown at “Champs,” the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Ladies Athletics Championships.
Tina described that victory as “a particular second and my most memorable win to this point,” having dropped right down to the 100m. What many may mistake for sibling rivalry is, in reality, the important thing to their success. Each admit they push one another more durable than anybody else. “I’m not going to permit her to beat me and she or he feels the identical means,” laughed Tia. For Tina, the enjoyment lies in sharing the rostrum: “To know that my twin sister is within the race and we end 1-2 is all the time a fantastic feeling.”
The twins are sometimes indistinguishable on the monitor besides within the 4x100m relay the place their roles are mounted — Tina often powering down the again straight whereas Tia anchors the staff. Initially extra inclined to the 200m, Tina has constructed a 17–8 lead of their 100m battles, although she insists she has no robust desire between the 2 sprints. Tia, however, has all the time claimed the 100m as her personal. Now, with their careers advancing, each have set their sights firmly on the blue-ribbon distance.
Their first actual conflict at “Champs” led to disappointment. The twins had hoped to brush the highest two spots, however Tia was disqualified for a false begin. Tina, nonetheless, steadied herself and stormed to victory in 11.38 seconds (-2.1 m/s), her finest time of the season. “I used to be very upset at the beginning,” Tina admitted. “I used to be anticipating to complete second behind my sister as that’s her favorite occasion. When she bought disqualified, I knew I needed to do it for her.”
For the Claytons, few figures loom bigger than Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The a number of World and two-time Olympic champion has been a relentless supply of inspiration. “She’s a woman that evokes numerous younger athletes,” Tina defined. “Fraser-Pryce has set a development for us to observe; she all the time reveals that it’s not about profitable in any respect price, however about getting again up after setbacks and redeeming your self.”
Behind the Claytons’ rise has been a basis of robust mentorship. They credit score their mom — a sprinting prodigy in her youth — and longtime coach Michael Dyke for nurturing their expertise. That assist carried Tina to back-to-back World U20 titles in Nairobi and Cali, whereas each sisters made the daring transfer to go away faculty early and be a part of the MVP Monitor Membership. It proved decisive: Tia reached the Paris Olympic closing, and Tina captured the nationwide 100m title in 2025, signalling their readiness for senior stardom.
Their breakthrough on the senior stage got here on the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, the place the twins firmly introduced themselves amongst Jamaica’s rising sprinting elite. Tina delivered the efficiency of her profession within the ladies’s 100m closing, taking silver in a private finest 10.76 seconds — a time that tied her with Veronica Campbell-Brown because the sixth-fastest Jamaican of all time.
Tia, regardless of battling accidents earlier within the season, confirmed her resilience by clocking a private better of 10.82 and serving to safe Jamaica’s silver medal within the 4x100m relay. That race additionally produced one of the symbolic moments of the championships, because the baton was handed to the sisters by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in her farewell look. Greater than a easy change, it felt like a generational handover — the legendary Fraser-Pryce entrusting Jamaica’s sprinting future to the “Twin Turbo.”
With endorsements from veteran coaches and the steering of MVP Monitor Membership beneath Stephen Francis, the Clayton twins at the moment are seen not merely as promising kids, however because the quickest Jamaicans of 2025 and bonafide heirs to the island’s storied sprinting custom. Their dedication to construct a legacy collectively ensures that their journey, each individually and as a pair, is barely simply starting.
This text is revealed in partnership with Jamaica Sports 876 as a part of their digital journal sequence “Triumph in Tokyo”, protecting tales and insights from the 2025 World Championships. Click on here to discover the total digi-zine.
