Michelle Smith, 19, and Omar Simpson, 24, made their World Athletics Championships debut among a sea of over 2,000 competitors at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, Sept. 13-21.
Smith and Simpson represented the USVI in the 400-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash, respectively. Their journey to Tokyo tells a story of individual determination, personal faith, and national pride that extends far beyond their finishing times.
Smith’s road to Tokyo ran through Athens, Georgia, where she trains under coach Carly Smith-Gilbert at the University of Georgia. She followed an individualized training plan throughout the year, working alone rather than with the team to prepare for the world’s biggest stage.
“I’ve just been training by myself. I haven’t gotten much of a break, but I don’t really mind,” Smith explained, glancing up from an assignment. The sophomore biology major is currently in the throes of being both a student and world-class athlete, racing deadlines while conducting post-competition interviews.
Meanwhile, Simpson prepared for Tokyo with D4 Fire Training Group near Atlanta. Without the built-in structure and competition of college athletics, the postgraduate athlete had to create his own environment for elite-level preparation.
The athletes made time to explore Japan’s culture during their stay, picking up trinkets for friends while shopping in different cities. But when race day arrived, the magnitude of the moment hit home.
“Everyone decides to show up for the evening races, so the stadium was packed,” Simpson said. “I kept thinking about what I was going to do when they put the camera on me. It finally got to me, and I started raising my hands up … and the crowd really got louder!” he laughed.
The atmosphere proved unlike anything they had experienced in their young careers.
“At any meet, you expect the crowd to be quiet when a race is starting. But you could hear a pin drop in there, and it was always so loud that the silence was even more shocking than the noise,” Simpson added.
Competition at the World Championships proved as fierce as expected. Smith lined up in the 400-meter hurdles, where 41 competitors across eight heats battled for the top 24 qualifying times to reach the semifinals. She executed her race plan well, posting the fastest reaction time in her heat at .127 seconds, but her 56.00 time left her just seven-tenths of a second short of advancing. She faced defending champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who took the top spot in their heat and in the final.
Simpson found himself in the fifth heat of the 200 meters alongside Jamaica’s Bryan Levell, who would go on to finish third in the final. His 21.58 time landed him 49th overall in a stacked field that included now four-time 200-meter world champion Noah Lyles (USA), Kenneth Bednarek (USA), Levell, and Letsile Tebogo (BOT) — all of whom ran sub-20 seconds in the final. The competition was so tight that several athletes posted identical times, with the slowest qualifying mark being 20.43 seconds.
Despite not advancing to the later rounds, both athletes found deeper meaning in their World Championships experience. Their motivations reveal the personal drives that brought them to Tokyo’s biggest stage.
“I run for my coach, my family, the fans, and the territory,” Smith said. “And I draw strength from my self-belief, my faith, and words of encouragement from my coach and the people I love.”
For Simpson, who only began running during his junior year of high school, the journey carries a different weight.
“I run for myself to prove that I am the athlete said I couldn’t be,” he explained.
Faith plays a central role in Simpson’s approach to competition. “I recently got baptized, and I found strength through Jesus Christ. He wouldn’t put me in a situation I couldn’t handle, so I give it to Him and handle the rest.”
This Tokyo experience marked both a new height of competition and a foundation for future success. For Smith and Simpson, representing the U.S. Virgin Islands on the world’s biggest track and field stage was just the beginning of what they hope will be many more opportunities to carry their territory’s flag with pride. The national teammates expressed gratitude for sharing this milestone experience together and already have their sights set on the next World Athletics Championships in Beijing in 2027.
