Continuing a common trend in the world of athletics, three promising US-based athletes have chosen a different path to the global stage. Yevhen Zhmailo, Maria Portela, and Amir Thompson have all confirmed they will represent new nations in international competition, each carrying a unique story behind the decision.

The 2025 USA U20 triple jump champion, Zhmailo, has officially declared for Ukraine, the country where he was born before moving to the United States in 2022. Zhmailo and his family relocated to Washington to live near relatives after Russia invaded Ukraine. Arriving with limited English, the teenager initially struggled to settle into a new environment. Everything changed once he found his place on the track.

Although he first gravitated toward the long jump – an event his father once competed in – his coaches encouraged him to try the triple jump. It didn’t take long for his talent to become impossible to ignore. In 2025, he won the national jump title at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. In 2026, at the WIAA Class 4A State Championships, he won the state long and triple jump titles, setting state records.

Now, it’ll be interesting to see if he can do wonders for Ukraine in the upcoming big events.

Fresh off claiming bronze in the 200 meters at the 2026 USA U20 Championships, Maria Portela will now be seen in Spanish colors.

Portela has already drawn attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Earlier this year, she ran 11.38 seconds in the 100 meters at the Eastern Kansas League Championship, eclipsing the previous Spanish junior best of 11.43. However, the mark was not officially recognized because she did not hold a Spanish athletics license at the time. Even so, the performance left a lasting impression on Spanish athletics officials.

“María represents an exciting generation of young athletes with extraordinary potential,” Spanish Athletics Federation president Raúl Chapado said. Even the Spanish Olympic sprinter Manolo Carballo was equally optimistic about the youngster. He once even hailed Portela as “one of the most promising sprinters.”

With her allegiance now confirmed, Spain has added another exciting young sprint prospect to its future plans.

Amir Thompson has also declared a change in sporting nationality, choosing to represent Barbados.

The Texas native comes from one of track and field’s most recognizable families. His father, Obadele Thompson, won Olympic bronze in the men’s 100 meters for Barbados at the 2000 Sydney Games. His mother, Marion Jones, famously crossed the finish line with five Olympic medals for Team USA before those results were later stripped following her admission of lying about performance-enhancing drug use.

While his family name naturally draws attention, Thompson has been building his own reputation through consistent performances and disciplined training at Arizona State. He captured the Big 12 indoor title in the 200-meter dash at the 2026 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championship, with an Arizona State record of 20.40s.

He credits the competitive atmosphere among his teammates for helping elevate his performances and believes every race is preparing him for a much bigger goal.

“Every rep and every race this season at ASU is building toward nationals and the Olympics,” Thompson said. “It would mean so much to follow in my dad’s footsteps and represent Barbados on the biggest stage in track and field.”

With Zhmailo, Portela, and Thompson all confirming their international allegiance, three emerging talents are set to begin the next chapter of their careers under new flags. But it’s not only the USA, which has been facing a series of allegiance switches in track & field in particular.

The increasing trend of nationality switches in track and field

The decisions by Yevhen Zhmailo, Maria Portela, and Amir Thompson are part of a much larger trend that has gathered momentum over the last two years. More athletes are choosing to compete under different flags, driven by a mix of personal circumstances, sporting opportunities, and frustrations with their national federations.

The biggest talking point came after the 2024 Paris Olympics, when Turkey aggressively strengthened its athletics program. In June 2025, Olympic medalists Rajindra Campbell and Roje Stona became the first prominent Jamaicans to switch allegiance, with long jumper Wayne Pinnock and triple jump star Jaydon Hibbert following soon after. Several other athletes also made the move, catching the track and field world by surprise.

Turkey’s Olympic athletics team coordinator, Onder Ozbilen, later addressed the growing number of transfers in an interview with France 24. He revealed that the country had turned down around 30 requests from athletes, including some from the United States, because, according to him, many were motivated only by financial incentives rather than a genuine desire to represent Turkey.

However, money wasn’t the only factor behind the exodus. Several Jamaican athletes pointed to long-standing issues within their own system. Olympic medalist Danniel Thomas-Dodd publicly criticized the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), arguing that field event athletes often receive far less support than their counterparts on the track.

At that time, the movement didn’t stop with Jamaica. Kenyan athletes also switched to Turkey, while Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili opted to represent another nation after repeated administrative issues in her home country.