If you follow track and field, then you are aware of the regional meets that were underway in Jacksonville, FL, for the NCAA East First Round and in College Station for the NCAA West First Round. From here on, the competitors for the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will be selected, which will then take place on June 11-14. And while many claim that the beauty of the regional system lies in its simplicity, you might be forced to think again about what went down recently. Case in point? Rivaldo Marshall.

The opening day of the NCAA West First Round had 14 of the 23 athletes advancing to the next round from the University of Arkansas men’s track and field team. Out of the 14, four Razorbacks qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The remaining? Well, they will compete again on Friday with the aim of finishing in the Top 12 so they can punch their tickets to Eugene.

Three of the Razorbacks’ six runners in the 400 advanced, with Jaden Smith, Steven McElroy, and TJ Tomlyanovich. In the 800, on the other hand, both Rivaldo Marshall (1:47.62) and Tyrice Taylor (1:48.20) won their heats to advance to Friday. But this is where there’s a twist.

Marshall was initially disqualified after the officials ruled he “flagrantly impeded” another runner. He was reported to have breached the World Athletics rule 15.5-3a, which deals with impeding other runners. But after a protest, the former NCAA Indoor 800m champion’s disqualification was overturned, and he advanced.

However, the news of the initial disqualification was a huge blow to the 23-year-old. It was even posted on the Razorback TF/XC X page. The post contained the details of the whole ordeal: “2025 NCAA West | 800m 5) 1:47.52 Rivaldo Marshall [won heat] 11) 1:48.20 Tyrice Taylor [won heat]. UPDATE: Taylor advances to the quarterfinal on Friday, DQ for Marshall on impeding.”

But now that he has been reinstated, let’s see his record on that note. 

Rivaldo Marshall’s record till now

A single moment changed the Jamaican track and field star’s life. Marshall, who was a student athlete at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa, won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) 800 metres gold medal on May 21, 2022. This was just the start of his amazing career.

Marshall had become the 3rd quickest junior college athlete of all time on the indoor 600 metres with a personal record of two minutes 23.23 seconds on January 21 in Iowa. “Rivaldo’s performance today was incredibly special,” his former head coach, Brent Ewing, had said as per the Indian Hills website. “He’s been a completely different athlete since he won the national title last spring.”

His former coach also said back in 2023, as per JamaicaGleaner.com, “Rivaldo is a hard-working athlete. He trains real hard, and once he believes in you, you will get him to do anything.” He also mentioned that the athlete was a very humble person and never refused to train.

Well, despite being of such a young age, he has already achieved a lot. His personal bests include 4×400 Relay Short Track with results coming in at 3:04.39. In the 800m short track, he clocked 1:46.80 in January 2025. Additionally, during the 4×400 metres Relay, he clocked in 3:03.96 at the 2023 NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, securing a second-place finish.

With that, do you think his current redemption was deserving? Tell us in the comments below.