In 2022, Letsile Tebogo ran at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali and clocked 9.91 seconds in the men’s U20 100m final, setting a world record. For the longest time, it looked like no one could even come near his record until now. On June 21, 2026, a 19-year-old Jamaican came within 0.02 seconds of his record.

Gary Card competed in the men’s 100m at the Jamaican National Senior Championships inside the National Stadium alongside names like Oblique Seville, Ackeem Blake, and other senior-level sprinters. He ran to finish second in 9.93 seconds, his first time going under the 10-second barrier.

Seville won the race in 9.82 while Blake finished third in 9.94, but Card’s performance carried its own weight. That run pushed him into elite junior territory, placing him as the third-fastest U20 sprinter in history alongside American Christian Miller. Only American Maurice Gleaton’s 9.92 and Tebogo’s 9.91 now sit ahead of him.

Along with this, Card also became the second Jamaican teenager of all time to break the 10-second mark, beating Bouwahjgie Nkrumie’s 2023 U20 record of 9.99. Card could have been under 10 earlier, but injuries hampered him a bit at crucial points.

In the 100m final at the 2025 ISSA Boys and Girls Championships, he limped but still won gold in 10.28 sec. He didn’t begin the 200m afterward; something was amiss physically. He withdrew from the Jamaica CARIFTA Games team just days later because of an injury.

Now that he is back at MVP Track Club under coach Stephen Francis, he has slowly rebuilt his rhythm. “It’s a long time coming but I don’t rush the process. God will take care of it,” Gary Card said after the race. “It happens when it’s supposed to happen and I’m just happy that tonight was the night.” Now, with the sub-10 barrier finally gone, Card has already set his mind on 2026, with bigger goals ahead.

Gary Card sets sights on the 2026 season

The 19-year-old Jamaican was already running at the CARIFTA Games at the U17 level in Kingston at 15 and won the 100m in 10.81 seconds. An early look at what he was and what he had yet to become: a force to be reckoned with. The promise became a reality by 2024. At the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships, Card grabbed silver in the 200m in 21.23 seconds after a tense finish where the top three were just 0.01 seconds apart.

Later that year, he took another step forward at the Jamaican U20 National Trials in Kingston, winning the 100m in a personal best of 10.07 seconds. That performance moved him to second on Jamaica’s U20 all-time list and secured his place at the World Athletics U20 Championships. On the global stage, he reached the 100m final and finished sixth, before closing his meet with a gold medal in the 4x100m relay.

Now, with a sub-10 breakthrough already behind him, Card is keeping his focus simple heading into 2026. “Just faster times, being healthy. That’s the most important thing in this sport. Healthy and doing the best you can. Just wish me luck and I’m sure I’ll be alright,” he said.

Card is also open about what comes next on the calendar, whether it is the Commonwealth Games in Scotland or the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. “I don’t have a preference. As long as I do the best I can anywhere, it’s really anything for me. I just have to run, to be honest,” he said.