Megan, the fighter

AFTER a solid start to the 2026 season, Jamaican sprint hurdles star Megan Simmonds believes she’s rediscovered herself after joining Rolando “Lonnie” Greene’s training camp with Olympic champion Masai Russell and three-time World Indoor champion Devynne Charlton.

Reigning national champion Simmons produced a season’s best 12.50 seconds to win the 100m hurdles at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea (Rome Diamond League) last Thursday, which made her the sixth fastest woman this year.

The 32-year-old followed it up with another win on Sunday at the Halina Konopacka Classic in Poland, clocking 12.79, making it her third win in as many races.

Simmonds, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics Games in 2021, missed out on competing at last year’s World Championships in Japan after picking up a hamstring injury.

Following the end of last season, she decided to part ways with the Reynaldo Walcott-led Elite Performance Track Club and joined Bahamian Greene who heads the University of Kentucky’s athletics programme.

Simmonds says the move has already begun to pay dividends after overcoming a long-term mental battle.

“This whole experience has been serendipitous. I feel like I lost myself when I became a pro. I felt like I had to become somebody who I wasn’t and moving to this team, I feel like it’s just brought me back to who I am,” she told The Inside Lane. “It’s brought me back to who God wanted me to be. It’s brought me back to just Megan, the fighter, the champion, the creator.”

While Greene has enjoyed success at the collegiate level, he’s established himself at the professional level with Russell and Charlton. American Russell won gold in the100m hurdles at the Paris Olympics in 2024 and is also the second fastest woman of all time after clocking 12.14 seconds last month, just shy of Tobi Amusan’s 12.12 world record set back in 2022. Bahamian star Charlton has won three consecutive World Indoor 60m titles, most recently in Poland in March where she equalled her own world record.

Simmonds believes training with the trio has renewed her love, not just for the sport but for herself.

SIMMONDS… I felt like I had to become somebody who I wasn’t and moving to this team, I feel like it’s just brought me back to who I am (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

“Being around these ladies brought me back to who I was — they live unapologetically, they train unapologetically, they give their all and it’s a dream come true every single day to train with these ladies, to be around these ladies, to just soak up and revel in their greatness and to just be in coach Green’s presence as well,” she said.

“Like, it’s literally a dream come true. I tell them every single time that I am so happy to be here, I’m so grateful to be here, I’m so happy that you guys welcomed me with open arms.”

Simmonds also made a significant personal change, reverting to her maiden name after competing under Tapper for nearly a decade.

“It was just a moment where I realised I needed the change. It was time to step out of who I was. It was time to shake off the past and step into what God has prepared for me,” she said.

“It’s been a long journey but God’s time is perfect. This season is a new season and it’s for everyone who they told you that you couldn’t do it. For everyone who you have nobody to believe in you — you’re doing it for yourself, you’re believing in yourself. It is absolutely possible [because] you’re seeing me doing it. I’m 32 and barely five feet and I’m doing it, so you can absolutely do it too.”

Simmonds believes the heartbreak of the 2025 season has pushed her in becoming fully prepared for the season ahead.

“I was not ready for this big change, but you guys knew what happened in Japan last year. God was like, yes, you’re comfortable but you need to be uncomfortable to get where I want you to be, to get where you need to be,” she said. “So I had no other option but to listen and to change and to get uncomfortable and in doing that, I became the most comfortable I’ve ever been in my life.”

“I kind of lost myself going through different environments and people talking and it just kind of brought me down. But now where I am, the people that have around me, like you guys really lift me up and support me and just put me on your shoulders whenever I need that support. We’re building, we’re getting better so this season is about believing,” Simmonds added.

Simmonds is expeted to defend her title at the National Senior Championships later this month as she eyes the Commonwealth Games in July.

Megan Simmonds (Photo: Collin Reid)