Jamaican-Born Sprinter Reveals the Real Reason He May Choose to Represent Japan Over His Homeland

The 16-year-old has opened up about the tough choice between loyalty to Jamaica and opportunity in Japan as his sprint career takes off.

Jamaican-born Japanese teenage sprint sensation Kyle Merritt has disclosed the major reason he is afraid of switching allegiance back to his birth country.

Kyle Merritt left Jamaica at the age of six after his mother accepted a job opportunity in Japan. A decade later, he is thriving both academically and athletically, emerging as a rising sprint talent in his adopted country.

The 16-year-old recently clocked a personal best of 10.51 seconds at a regional meet to qualify for the Japan National High School Championships and has begun additional training under Jamaican coach Collingswood Coley in Japan.

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Kyle Merritt: It Would Be Harder to Make a Team for Jamaica

In an interview shared by Television Jamaica, the Jamaican-born Japanese sprinter explained that he had spent most of his life in Japan and had gradually embraced the country’s culture and way of life.

Kyle Merritt reflected on the difference in sprinting standards between Jamaica and Japan, admitting that qualifying for the Jamaican national team would be much more challenging due to the depth of talent there.

Merritt clarified that he did not view Japan’s level as inferior but simply recognised the intense competition in Jamaican athletics.

He added that while representing Japan might offer a more attainable path to international competition, his loyalty to his homeland made the decision emotionally difficult, as he did not want to disappoint the country of his birth.

“I’ve been living in Japan more than in Jamaica, and I’ve been getting into their culture. The Jamaican level is way different from the Japanese, so it would be harder to make a team for Jamaica,” Kyle Merritt said.

“I’m not saying that it will be easier, like I’m not saying that Japan is low-levelled, but compared to Jamaica, it will be hard to make a team. Thinking of making a team, I would say Japan, but I can’t let down my country.”

Kyle Merritt’s hesitation is understandable, given the extraordinary depth of Jamaica’s current sprinting talent.

With stars like Kishane Thompson, Oblique Seville, and Ackeem Blake continuing to impress on the international stage, breaking into the Jamaican senior team has become increasingly difficult.

For a young sprinter like Kyle Merritt, still developing his craft, competing against such proven speedsters would be an enormous challenge, one that makes the thought of representing Japan, where his athletic journey has flourished, both a practical and emotional crossroads.