Who is Reece Prescod? British Olympian nearly quit Athletics after career-ending injuries
Winning an Olympic medal is considered to be the greatest achievement for an athlete. Whether it is a Gold medal, Silver, or Bronze, standing on the podium with a medal around your neck is the proudest moment for any athlete across the globe. They train hard for four years and make everything count when it comes to the biggest occasion.
Athletes such a Usain Bolt, Simone Biles, and Michael Phelps are some of the iconic names who have graced the event and became legends in their respective games. They give the youngsters motivation to achieve what they want to and make their country proud.
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One such athlete is none other than Reece Prescod. The sprinter from England is one of the most exciting young talents in Athletics and has the credentials to prove the aforementioned statement. Over the years, he has won numerous accolades to reach where he is today and is now representing Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics.
Prescod had a very good chance of becoming an Olympic winner a few days before, but due to a false start, he was disqualified from the event. His hopes of winning a medal in the 100m finals were dashed. However, he still has a way to become an Olympic medallist. The athlete will be running once again for the glory as Great Britain has entered the finals of Men’s 4x100m relay.
Not a lot of people know about him and we are here to introduce you to the athlete who took the European Athletics by storm.
Who is Reece Prescod?
Born on February 26, 1996, Reece Prescod is a young sprinter from Great Britain who rose to fame after winning the Silver Medal in the 100 meters at the 2018 European Athletics Championship in a time of 9.96 seconds.
However, the legends in the athletics world knew that he would become a great athlete when he saw them during the trials ahead of the World Championship. Prescod qualified in first place at the Great Britain trials and edged past the former World Championship finalist James Dasaolu to get selected for the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. He competed in the men's 100 meters at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics and finished 7th in the final of the event.
He retained his British title in 2018 and finished 2nd in the final of the 2018 European Athletics Championships, behind teammate Zharnel Hughes. However, he clocked his best-ever time of 9.94 in 2018. The 25-year-old is the fourth-fastest GB sprinter of all time.
But it should be noted that his form came crashing down because of his weight and the injuries he ended because of it. He suffered a gruesome hamstring injury just a month before the World Championships in 2019 and could not participate in it.
Dreams of becoming an athlete were fading away
There was a time when his dream of becoming an athlete was slowly fading away after three years of successive injuries. The British sprinter thought of becoming a real estate agent so that he doesn’t have to deal with injuries and heartbreaks. During an interview, he revealed that he thought of that because a lot of his friends were also working in real estate and making good money.
He added, “But luckily, I did one race at 20.7 secs and I got a Nike junior contract off the back of it. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have continued. I was working three jobs at the time. I’ve always been a grafter. I’ve never been someone to sit at home.”
Prescod worked at a local Homebase, stacking shelves and offering DIY advice to customers. Apart from that, he has also worked as a barman at the Country Club in Essex, England.
A lot of people who know about Athletics feel that his game is similar to Usain Bolt. The eight-time Olympic Gold medallist changed the dynamics of sprinting and always started slowly in the beginning and finished the race faster. This is how Prescod also approaches his running.
Gaining weight and injury
During an interview with The Guardian, the sprinter revealed that it was really difficult for him to lower his weight because of a sweet tooth. Fast food, cake, and playing games nearly derailed his Olympic dream. Prescod also noted that whenever he was playing games with his friends, he would order cakes from the Cake and Custard Factory. At one time, he went above 87kgs and had word real hard in bringing it down.
In 2019, he suffered a hamstring injury after he moved to the US to revitalize his career. However, the relocation turned out to be dangerous for him because it was difficult for him to cope with the Florida regime, and the reoccurrence of the hamstring injury made it worse.
Disqualification in the Tokyo Olympics’ 100m event
Prescod managed to qualify for the Olympics even after having an average season. He qualified for the semi-finals of the 100m event, but something drastic happened that quashed his hopes for a medal. The sprinter was disqualified from the men’s Olympic 100m semi-finals after a false start.
However, he will have one more chance to have a medal around his neck when he runs along with his teammate in the Men’s 4x100m relay today at 9:50 am EST.
What is Reece Prescod’s net worth?
Most of his earnings have come through his career in Athletics. He is sponsored by Nike and wears the jersey made by the clothing brand.
According to Famous Birthdays, his net worth is estimated a $1.5 million.
People in the UK will be hoping for a medal in the upcoming event.
The Men’s 4x100m Relay event at the Tokyo Olympics will be taking place at 9:50 am EST.