Skip to main content
Mixed Emotions for Bennett On Winning National Title After Broadbell’s Injury Blow
Written by Leighton Levy. Posted in Athletics. | 30 June 2025 | 354 Views
Tags: Demario Prince, Jamaica National Championships, Orlando Bennett, Rasheed Broadbell, Tyler Mason, 110M Hurdles

Orlando Bennett may be Jamaica’s new 110m hurdles champion, but the 25-year-old Racers Track Club athlete revealed that his win on Sunday night came under the cloud of Rasheed Broadbell’s sudden injury before the final.

“Yeah, I'm very unfortunate,” Bennett said after the race. “I was in the middle of my warm-up — I heard this big crash and I looked around. He was on the ground. So very unfortunate. Always a good competitor, always pulling me. So we're just sad not to see him there today.”

With Broadbell out, Bennett delivered a composed performance to win in 13.10 seconds, narrowly holding off Demario Prince, who ran a personal best 13.12. Tyler Mason finished third in 13.22.

“Most of these athletes are very incredible athletes. So I know that I cannot come out here and play around,” Bennett said of the level of competition. “So I know I had to get out, especially with Tyler Mason beside me. I just know I had to just finish the race.”

He also credited Prince for bringing the heat: “Demario Prince showed his hand in the semis, so I know that I had to look out for him as well.  13.12, that’s a personal best for him, right? So he's not far behind. He's an incredible talent.

Now one of Jamaica’s senior sprint hurdlers, Bennett was asked how he views the expectations going forward in Broadbell’s absence. "It might sound selfish, but it's the game. Just every man for themselves. So I'm just going to keep staying focused, focus on my season, zone in, and God's willing everything goes as planned this year,” he said.

Looking ahead, Bennett plans to stay sharp in Europe. “I'm going to go to Europe, go on a circuit, see if I can get into some Diamond League,” he said. “Just keep race fit, taper down a little bit and gear forward in September.”

He confirmed there’s still more to come. 

"I would hope I can go way faster. That's always my intention, but I'm not placing too much expectation on myself. The aim is to just keep running competitively. Keep getting used to running fast times and executing,” he said.

Reflecting on his growth since last season, he added: "I've had to mentally tell myself that it's not just about making a team. It's not just about making it two rounds. I've been privileged to be racing against some of the top athletes in the world. In China, I was in the race when Cordell (Tinch) ran 12.87, so I know that I have a lot of ways to go.”

“So I can't really get into my head and say okay, yeah, 13.10, I'm the man. No. I have to just go back to the drawing board, see what I can fix, and just get better. Because I can tell you, for one thing, the USA athletes will be ready.”