By CGTN's Zhang Yang 

Omar McLeod from Jamaica won the 110m hurdles gold in the recent Shanghai leg of the IAAF Diamond League. In 2016, the rising star triumphed in the same event at the Rio Olympics. 

Born in 1994, McLeod was a promising high school athlete, specializing in both 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles, before he moved to the United States, where he represented Arkansas Razorbacks in the NCAA competition. 

Omar McLeod competes for NCAA team Arkansas Razorbacks. /arkansasonline.com Photo

McLeod turned professional after the 2015 collegiate season, and soon got international recognition by winning the 60m hurdles at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, USA. 

Then he impressed the world by winning the 110m hurdles at the Rio Olympics, becoming the first Jamaican hurdler to take the top honor of the event at the Olympic Games. 

Talking about his success at Rio, McLeod stressed he was not running just for himself. “Jamaica is evolving as a country in terms of hurdling. Being the person to set that up for the kids was a huge thing for me. When I was in Rio, I wasn’t just doing it for myself. I was doing it for my Jamaican youth that really look up to me -- you can actually be a great hurdler. ” 

Omar McLeod wins 110m hurdles gold on Rio Olympics. /CFP Photo

Earlier this year, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt announced that he will retire after the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London. Winning eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championships titles, Bolt is undoubtedly the all-time greatest athlete from the island country. 

McLeod played down the comparison between himself and Bolt, saying that he just wants to be himself. “I don’t want to try to be like Usain Bolt. I want to be Omar Mcleod. I want to shine my own light.”