18-year-old Texas-based track and field star Justin Stewart was slowly making a name for himself at Arlington Heights High School. He had captured 5x national age-group titles, earned 16 All-American honors, and collected several regional and invitational wins across Texas. With results like those, many expected him to continue on the path toward representing the United States internationally. Instead, Stewart has chosen to represent Jamaica on the international stage, and the reason appears closely tied to his roots.

On June 4, @glblathletichub reported that “Texas-based high school sprinter Justin Stewart has declared to run for Jamaica over the USA.” And now, Stewart will attempt to qualify through Jamaica’s setup, competing in the under-20 100m and 200m events at Jamaica’s national junior and senior championships, scheduled for June 18 to 21 at the National Stadium in Kingston.

This decision also opens the door for him to continue his international path with Jamaica, including future Olympic representation. And no doubt talent is there. According to his Instagram Bio, Stewart holds personal bests of around 10.05 in the 100m and 20.36 in the 200m. But the question remains: why Jamaica? Well, this news was first revealed by Jamaican sports journalist Ricardo Chambers on his YouTube channel. And it seems like he knows the reason behind this decision!

Stewart is the son of two Jamaican sprint legends. His father, Raymond Stewart, represented Jamaica across four Olympic Games from 1984 to 1996 and won Olympic silver in the 4x100m relay. His mother, Beverly McDonald, is also a decorated Jamaican sprinter. She won Olympic bronze in the 200m at Sydney 2000, added a World Championship silver in 1999, and earned multiple relay medals across her career.

Chambers highlighted the connection, stating, “So that brings you up to speed with his parents. So you know that Justin Stewart has some pretty good genes.”

Looking at his performances, you can see that Stewart has continued to impress. While World Athletics records list 10.31 in the 100m and 20.68 in the 200m for 2025, many of his races in the United States are not officially recorded in the global database. However, he has several legal top performances: 10.07 in the 100m and 20.46 in the 200m, with a +1.9 m/s wind, ranking him among the top Jamaican under-20 sprinters.

Chambers noted, “By entering the National Championships, he is leaning heavily towards Jamaica with the World Under 20 Championships set for this summer in Eugene, Oregon. That is the team he will be attempting to make.”

His 100m time would place him second on Jamaica’s U20 list behind Gary Card (10.03), and ahead of Raquel Marie (10.12). His 200m time puts him at the top of Jamaica’s U20 rankings for 2026, among other top sprinters like Gary Card and Sanjay Seymour (20.62). Stewart’s entry strengthens an already competitive Jamaican sprinting pool.

Chambers also reflected on his potential in the U.S. system: “His 10.07 would make him the number two American this year at 100m… 20.46 would give him a real shot at making their 200 team as well... ”

Though some paperwork remains, it is expected to be a formality, ensuring Stewart can officially represent Jamaica at the World U20 Championships. With his debut at the national junior and senior championships in Kingston approaching, all eyes will be on how Stewart performs in both the 100m and 200m events. An interesting thing about Justin Stewart is that track was not even his first sport.

Justin Stewart almost quit track and field

In the beginning, Justin was a soccer player. He picked up the sport in sixth grade, as many kids do, but something changed when speed became his clear advantage. As he later explained, the turning point came when he realized he was not just fast; he was far ahead of everyone else. “I started doing soccer in the sixth grade, but then I started running and was beating other kids by 50 meters in the 200, so I figured it was my time to shine on the track,” he said.

After that, it was a natural progression for him to transition to athletics. He had the opportunity to compete at Hurst L.D. Bell High School as a freshman and in some extracurricular competitions as a sophomore. As early as then, it was clear that he had talent. As a youngster, he was able to place sixth in the State final for the Texas Class 6A 100m in 2023.

Shortly thereafter, Stewart compiled a stellar career record of 5 national age-group titles, 16 All-American awards and 3 national meet records. His performances were right on track: 10.05 in the 100m outdoors, 20.36 in the 200m outdoors, 6.69 in the 60m, and 20.94 in the 200m indoors.

In 2024, however, he left high school competition entirely to concentrate on the top-level meets. His coach, Curtis James, explained the thinking behind it clearly.

“With the new rules in place, you need to be seen as much nationally as possible, and your high school team is not going to get you out there that much,” long-time Heights track coach Curtis James said. “I told his dad I have no problem with that. This kid is special.”

Later, Stewart returned to high school track after his family relocated because of his father’s work. That move brought him to Arlington Heights High School, where he continued dominating.