Kyron McMaster, BVI Star Athlete
Kyron McMaster, a BVI star of the 400-meter hurdles, has been racking up medals on the world stage at a prodigious pace. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England, McMaster snagged gold in the 400 meter hurdles –a proud day for the Territory. BVI Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley hosted a gathering for the BVI contingent which included 17 atletes competing in four sports – squash, 3×3 basketball, track and field and cycling. The crowning glory of the nine-day competition was McMaster’s 400-meter gold medal, which he won with a time of 48.93.
He shone at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, as well, where he notably came in fourth – an amazing feat for a young man from a small Caribbean island competing against the world’s top athletes.
McMaster Bests Norwegian World Record Holder
In his most recent event, which made news in world athletic circles, McMaster netted silver as he beat Norwegian world record holder, Karsten Warholm, in the 400-metre hurdles at the Zurich Diamond League on August 31. Up until then, Warholm, had been undefeated. In a nail-biting photo finish, McMaster clocked a time of 47.27 with Warholm finishing at 47.30.
McMaster, at a post-race interview stated, “I got out of my head completely. If I was stuck in my head, I knew I would have fumbled . . .” McMaster went on to say. “So, I was just, like, ‘you know what, I’m going to take this in my phases like I’ve been doing all season’.”
The 26-year-old attended the Ebeneezer Thomas Primary School in Sea Cows Bay on Tortola and the BVI’s Elmore Stoutt High School in Road Town. McMaster attended Central Arizona College where he ran the 400 meter hurdles but struggled with injuries and decided to return to the BVI. He continued his training with his previous coach Daag Samuels. Samuels unexpectedly died following Hurricane Irma in September 2017 which devastated the islands and McMaster. The tragedy did not slow McMaster down who continued with his training and athletic schedule.
An Impressive Array of Medals
McMaster continued to garner an impressive array of medals. At the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, McMaster completed a silver medal finish for the BVI coming in at 47.34.
The British Virgin Islander represented his country at the 2017 World Championships where he finished in the top three in his heat only to be disqualified for a lane infringement. Earlier, he won a bronze medal at the 2016 World U20 Championships.
McMaster won the British Virgin Islands’ first ever gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 400-meter hurdles in 2018 and followed up with another gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the same event.
The BVI athlete finished second at the 2023 World Track and Field Championships in Budapest, Hungary earning a silver medal. This was the first ever medal for the British Virgin Islands at this championship event.
In an interview with Steve Landells for the IAAF https://worldathletics.org/news/series/kyron-mcmaster-400m-hurdles-london McMaster said: “. . .without the distractions and stress of college life, I focused more on training and got into better shape. My speed improved and in my first 400m hurdles race of the 2017 season at the Florida Relays I set a national record of 48.71 (taking 0.85 from his personal best). The time did not surprise me because my coach believed I could run that quickly, but I was surprised I achieved it in my opening race of the season.
McMaster has shown his mettle at other recent events and including first place at the NACAC Championships held last year and second place in the World Championships in Budapest this year. Other first place finishes included at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in 2018, Central American and Caribbean Games in Baranquilla, Colombia and the NCAC Championships in Toronto, Canada.
Dedicated, hardworking and personable, Kyron McMaster takes his success in his stride, so to speak. He plans to stay on track for continuing success.
More on McMaster can be found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Commonwealth_Games
Read about Kyron and the BVI Tokyo 2020 Olympics team at
.
