Background

St. Jago High School is known far and wide for its rich history of producing some of the best sprinters in the world, and Nickel Ashmeade is one of the latest top talents to emerge from the Spanish Town powerhouse.

It was in 2006 that Nickel began to showcase his talents outside of Jamaica, when he took gold and silver at the Central American and Carribean Under-17 Championships in the 100m and 200m, respectively. A year later, Nickel won the 200m and finished second in the 100m at the highly competitive Jamaican Junior National Championships, which qualified him for the IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic. In Ostrava, Nickel won the silver medal in the 100m, followed by bronze medals in the 200m and in the Medley Relay. At the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2008, Nickel won silver medals in the 200m and as a member of Jamaica's 4x100m realy team. Showing his versatility as a sprinter, Nickel also ran the second leg on Jamaica's 4x400m relay team, as well.

In 2009, Nickel won the PanAm Junior title over 200m, as well as his first senior title, winning the 200m at the Caribbean and Central American Championships in Havana, Cuba. Nickel has also tested himself in top invitationals outside of the Americas, earning top three finishes at grand prix meets in Ostrava and in Rieti, Italy.