Adelle Tracey Rewrites the Narrative on Allegiance from Great Britain to Jamaican Athletics
Sept 8, 2025 | Jamaica Live Sports Desk
For decades, Jamaica has watched some of its most promising talents leave our shores to represent other nations. From track to football, stories of athletes switching allegiance away from the island are all too familiar. Economic opportunity, facilities, or global exposure have often lured Jamaican-born athletes to foreign colours.
But every now and then, the narrative flips. One athlete decides to turn back toward Jamaica — not away from it. And in that moment, history is rewritten.
Born in Seattle in 1993 to a Jamaican father and a British mother, Adelle Tracey spent her early years in Jamaica before moving to England at the age of seven. She rose through Britain’s athletic system, winning national titles and representing Team GB at major championships, but in June 2022 she made the life-changing decision to switch allegiance to Jamaica. A graduate in Sport and Exercise Science from St Mary’s University, she balances her athletic career with work as a professional makeup artist, while also serving as an ambassador for dyslexia awareness and women in sport. Her return to Jamaica’s colours was more than symbolic—it was a homecoming that would soon rewrite the nation’s middle-distance history.
In June 2022, the middle-distance runner made a daring and heartfelt decision to switch her allegiance from Great Britain to Jamaica. Though she had proudly represented Britain on the international stage, her spirit yearned to embrace the black, green, and gold, echoing the rhythm of her true passion.
Her decision was more than personal—it was symbolic. Where so many Jamaicans had left, Tracey was returning. And she was determined to prove that Jamaica’s influence in athletics does not end at the sprints.
The gamble paid off. At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Tracey stunned the world in the 1500m semi-finals with a blistering 3:58.77. That performance didn’t just secure her a place in the record books—it smashed a 28-year-old Jamaican national record by over three seconds.
She also delivered in the 800m, clocking a personal best 1:58.41 to qualify for the final. In an event traditionally dominated by other nations, Tracey stood tall for Jamaica, reminding the world that we are not confined to sprinting lanes alone.
Changing the Conversation
Adelle Tracey’s story disrupts the familiar rhythm of Jamaican athletics. She represents what is possible when talent, identity, and opportunity align. While so many of our athletes have carried foreign flags, she chose Jamaica—and in doing so, opened a new lane for the island.
Her success proves that Jamaica’s influence on the track is not limited to the 100m or 200m. With Tracey, Jamaica is making serious waves in the middle distances, an area where the island rarely receives attention.
In the global era of sport, allegiance switches are part of the landscape. But when athletes like Tracey choose Jamaica, it affirms the island’s place as not only the sprint capital of the world but also a nation of destiny in athletics.
For young Jamaican runners watching her, Tracey is a message in motion: you don’t have to leave to make history—you can come home and change the game.