Ronald Levy (born 30 October 1992) is a Jamaican male track and field athlete who competes in the 110 metres hurdles. He holds a personal best of 13.05 seconds for that event, set in 2017, as well as a 100 metres sprint best of 10.17 seconds.[2] He was the gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Born in Westmoreland Parish, he went on to study at the University of Technology, Jamaica.[1] He took time to develop as an elite athlete, initially competing in a variety of sprint and hurdles events. In the 2014 season, he ran a best of 20.81 seconds for the 200 metres, showing his flat speed. He gradually improved his time in the 110 m hurdles, running 13.63 seconds in 2015 and 13.50 in 2016.[2]
A significant breakthrough came in the 2017 season under the coaching of Stephen Francis and Brigitte Foster-Hylton. He defeated Olympic medallist Hansle Parchment at the UTech Classic before winning at the Penn Relays in a new best of 13.33 seconds. On his IAAF Diamond League debut he was runner-up to Olympic champion Omar McLeod at the Prefontaine Classic – his time of 13.10 seconds ranked him second in the world behind his compatriot.[3] He was runner-up to McLeod at the Jamaican Athletics Championships in June,[4] then overhauled his rival to win at the Meeting de Paris Diamond League, establishing himself among the world's best with a time of 13.05 seconds.[5] Another win followed at the Meeting Città di Padova, but at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics he failed at the first hurdle in the heats and withdrew.[6]
He had his first indoor hurdles appearances in 2018 and, after a win at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix, he managed to reach the 60 metres hurdles semi-finals at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final by one hundredth of a second.[7] He achieved his first international medal at the age of 25, taking gold at the Commonwealth Games in a Jamaican 1–2 with Hansle Parchment.[8]
In June 2020, Levy won the Jamaican Olympic trials with a time of 13.10 to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In the final of the 110 m hurdles at the Olympic Games he won the bronze medal with a time of 13.10, finishing behind Hansle Parchment and Grant Holloway.[citation needed]
In November 2023, Levy tested positive for GW501516 which is a banned substance under anti-doping rules.[9] Levy was subsequently issued with a four-year ban by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission to run to 2027.[10][11]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | — | 110 m hurdles | DNF |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 9th (sf) | 60 m hurdles | 7.62 |
| Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.19 | |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 14th (h) | 110 m hurdles | 13.481 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | 110 m hurdles | 13.10 |
| 2022 | World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 26th (h) | 60 m hurdles | 7.75 |
1Disqualified in the semifinals
Commonwealth Games champions in men's 110 metres hurdles | |
|---|---|
| 120 yards hurdles (1930–1966) |
|
| 110 metres hurdles (1970–present) |
|
_(cropped).jpg/250px-Ronald_Levy_(42411177464)_(cropped).jpg){kind=small}
_(cropped).jpg/1541px-Ronald_Levy_(42411177464)_(cropped).jpg "Ronald Levy (athlete)")
_(cropped).jpg)
