Sometimes things do not go according to plan, and this LSU track and field star knows firsthand the experience of the same. Hailing from Jamaica, this young track phenom has made quite a buzz in the track realm. Her emergence to fame came in the U17 CARIFTA Games. Competing in the 4x100m relays, this young sprinter also took a silver in the 200m category. And that was just the beginning. The young Jamaican made a thumping statement when she took double gold at the U20 CARIFTA Games and a 200m gold in the U20 Worlds. Surely, all of her antics got her into the LSU Lady Tigers. Unfortunately, with injury interrupting her progress, she had to take a drastic step.
So, who are we talking about? Well, it is none other than the 20-year-old Brianna Lyston. Competing for the Lady Tigers, Lyston had one of the most impressive performances in her NCAA career. While she ran in both the 100m and the 200m categories, her personal bests were quite enviable. After all, dropping 10.91s and 22.31s is no child’s play. Apart from this, she also showed her mettle in the 60m race. In the 2024 season, Lyston clinched the women’s 60m title to further flex her athletic superiority. But all of this has abruptly come to an end.
In a recent update, Lyston stated that she will be ending her NCAA career while just 20 years old. Turning pro, the biggest reason for the same is probably her injury. Soon after making splashes in Baton Rouge, Lyston suffered a string of injuries. Confirming the letter sent to LSU head coach, Dennis Shaver, he said, “She hasn’t run at all this outdoor season because she was slightly injured at the NCAA Indoors.” He further stated, “And it’s my understanding that she has decided to forgo her collegiate eligibility and that she’s going to turn professional.” However, Shaver also went on to make some more important comments regarding Lyston’s decision.
Brianna Lyston turns pro!!
She ended her collegiate career at LSU and turned pro after a string of injuries as a collegiate athlete.
Her Personal Bests:
100m – 10.91
200m – 22.31
She won the NCAA women’s 60m title in 2024. pic.twitter.com/zisuPNf1U0
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) May 6, 2025
Shaver stated that despite supporting Lyston’s decision, she will no longer be a part of her training program. “But what I would say is that I think it’s in her best interest to move on and seek out another environment, another coach.” Thus, while this would surely be a hard goodbye for Lyston, her new career will be an intriguing one for track enthusiasts to watch. On a similar note, Lyston missed her ticket to the Paris Olympics despite a commendable track season in 2024.
LSU’s Brianna Lyston bows out early, ending Olympic dreams despite blazing form
Just when her season seemed poised to crescendo on the grandest stage of all, Brianna Lyston pressed pause. The LSU sprint star, who dazzled fans with sub-11-second times and stormed her way to NCAA finals, abruptly brought her 2024 campaign to a close. And it was just weeks before the Jamaica Olympic Trials and a potential Paris Olympics debut.
“Thank you 2024, breezy signing out,” Lyston wrote on Instagram, a day after securing a silver in the NCAA 100m final with a wind-aided 10.89 and helping LSU’s 4x100m team to second place. It was a stunning conclusion to a season in which she ran six sub-11 races, including a wind-legal 10.91—Jamaica’s fastest time of the year.
Until her announcement, Lyston had been widely seen as one of Jamaica’s top Olympic prospects. She had dominated in the NCAA circuit, clinched the 60m indoor title with a school-record 7.03, and seemed primed for the Trials. But with her season now over, the Jamaican team will head to Kingston later this month without one of its brightest emerging stars.
While she gave no reason for the early exit, Lyston’s decision marks a dramatic twist in what was shaping into a breakthrough year. Instead of chasing Olympic glory, the 20-year-old will watch from afar, leaving fans wondering what might have been.
The post String of Injuries Possibly Forced 20-Year-Old Track and Field Star to Drop Massive Career Decision appeared first on EssentiallySports.
