Stephen Francis left a huge void in Jamaican track and field when he passed away on July 4, 2026. After all, the longtime MVP Track Club coach helped shape some of Jamaica’s biggest stars, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and former 100m world-record holder Asafa Powell. Now, with MVP still adjusting to his loss, one of Francis’ former athletes could be returning to the club in a coaching role.

According to a report shared by Owen on X on September 19, Michael Frater is set to join the coaching staff at MVP Track Club. If confirmed, the move would bring Frater back to the club where he developed as an elite sprinter under Francis, but this time as a coach.

Frater’s connection with Francis goes back to his high-school days. Francis was his first track coach and remained a major influence on his career. By 2005, Frater was training with MVP in Jamaica, and that same year he produced one of the biggest individual performances of his career. At the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Frater won silver in the men’s 100m, clocking 10.05 seconds behind American Justin Gatlin.

It was his first major individual global medal. Frater later said he owed that success to Francis, describing him as “hands down one of the greatest coaches of all time.” Francis also helped Frater become part of Jamaica’s powerful relay teams. Frater won Olympic 4x100m gold at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, while also helping Jamaica win World Championships relay gold in 2009 and 2011.

At the London 2012 Olympics, Jamaica set a world and Olympic record of 36.84 seconds, with Frater running the second leg. However, Frater’s time at MVP eventually came to an end. He left the Stephen Francis-coached club in November 2012 following a fallout with Francis over his role as a newly elected JAAA vice-president.

After enduring a series of injuries, Frater retired from competitive sports in 2017 when he was 34. He then started to develop his coaching career working with the coaching staff at St Jago High School and then co-founding Titans International with Gregory Little in 2020. Frater later departed from Titans and started developing his own pro club.

In October 2023, reports said he was preparing to open a new professional track club, with Ackeem Blake and Yohan Blake among the athletes expected to train with him. By 2024, that setup was operating as Dynamic Track Club, and athletes including Sandrey Davison had joined Frater’s group. The coaching move also helped Frater work with athletes who would go on to reach the Olympic stage.

Ackeem Blake, who had been coached by Frater, represented Jamaica at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 100m and 4x100m relay. Blake reached the 100m semifinals and has continued to be associated with Frater’s Dynamic Speed group. Other athletes have also trained with Frater’s Dynamic Speed group, including Sandrey Davison and Adrian Kerr. 

Now, with Frater reportedly set to return to MVP, attention will turn to what happens to the athletes he has built his coaching career around. It remains unclear whether his current Dynamic Speed athletes will follow him to MVP or continue training with the group under another coach. But can Frater carry on what Francis built?

Frater faces the challenge of carrying Francis’ MVP legacy

MVP Track & Field Club did not become one of Jamaica’s most respected training programmes overnight. It started in September 1999, when Stephen Francis, his brother Paul Francis, David Noel and Bruce James came together at Wolmer’s Boys’ School in Kingston with a different idea for Jamaican athletics. Their intent was to provide an opportunity for talented athletes to remain in Jamaica following high school.

The vision was very straightforward but bold: Jamaican athletes, under the direction of Jamaican coaches, facilities and management, could be on par with the best in the world. Francis then took what was an idea and made it a powerhouse. He was known for his ability to discover talent. In 2001, for instance, Francis was joined by Asafa Powell who improved to 10.81 seconds before finally becoming a world-record holder. Many athletes benefitted from his coaching including Michael Frater, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson.

By 2017, when Francis stepped away from his role as MVP’s head coach, athletes under his guidance had collected 56 World Championships medals and 28 Olympic medals, along with 25 Jamaican national records, three Olympic records and five world records.

That is the standard Frater would be stepping into if his reported return to MVP becomes official.