What happens when someone decides to stop caring about what other people think?
For Sadé McCreath, that moment arrived at age 30, an age when the sporting world expects sprinters to pack up their spikes. Instead, on a July afternoon in Edmonton, McCreath exploded out of the blocks, tore down the track in 10.86 seconds, and became the fastest woman in Canadian history. She shattered the 10.90-second barrier, ranking among the top ten fastest women on Earth that season.
When you talk with Sadé, you quickly realize that her 10.86 clocking was not an overnight stroke of luck. It was the payoff of a fifteen-year grind, a radical shift in her mindset, and a commitment to something far bigger than running fast.
Photo Courtesy of Sadé McCreath
“I stopped caring about people’s opinions, and I stopped fearing their judgment,” she explains with warm clarity. “I went into last season like I did not really have anything to lose. The moment I stopped caring what other people might say, everything changed…”
To understand where that mental toughness comes from, you have to look at how Sadé was raised in Ajax, Ontario. Her family roots stretch back to Westmoreland, Jamaica. Raised by strong women (her mother and grandmother) Sadé spent her childhood watching them work tirelessly and take immense pride in everything they did.
Hard work was the baseline expectation. “My life was very structured,” Sadé recalls. “When I was young, my mom told me, ‘I don’t put you in all these sports just for you to play-play and have fun. If you are going to do anything, it is to be the best, and you are supposed to learn something out of it to make you a better person.'”
That standard of excellence stayed with her. Yet track was not her first love.
For a decade (from age six to sixteen) Sadé lived and breathed competitive gymnastics, expecting to become an Olympian on the mats; but in grade seven, her best friend convinced her to try out for the track team simply so they could get out of being in class. Sadé entered everything available: 100m, 200m, 400m, long jump, and triple jump, to maximize her qualification chances. She won every event.
As gymnastics grew intimidating and track felt like destiny, she made the pivot. She earned a Division I scholarship to Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, graduating in 2018 while laying the groundwork for an international career.
Photo Courtesy of Sadé McCreath/ Commonwealth Games 26
Even the strongest athletes battle moments of deep self-doubt. Before her historic breakthrough, Sadé spent years grinding on the international circuit, questioning whether her destiny was limited to being a relay runner.
“I’ve been in track and field since I was fifteen, and I became Canada’s fastest woman fifteen years later,” she admits candidly. “So many times I thought, ‘Maybe it’s not for you.’ My coach, Charles Allen, would ask, ‘Why not? What is stopping you?’ My family reminded me that I have worked for this my entire life.”
That circle kept her grounded when the road got steep, teaching her to trust her timeline.
What makes Sadé’s story extraordinary is what she does off the track. In addition to competing at the world’s highest level (including reaching the 4x100m Olympic final in Paris and winning Pan American gold) she works full-time as an Ontario probation and parole officer.
Photo Courtesy of Sadé McCreath
Her daily work places her directly inside youth detention centers, supporting young people navigating heavy consequences and searching for second chances. When asked about that work, her voice fills with emotion, “When you hear what they have gone through at such a young age, and still see them say, ‘It’s going to be okay, I’m going to figure it out, they inspire me,” Sadé says, holding back tears. “I never had it that rough. So, who am I to give up on myself? Who am I to not think I am that girl, if these kids can be so resilient?”
That perspective gives her athletic career profound purpose. Running fast has now become about showing those young people what resilience looks like in practice.
Today, Sadé gives back through ElevateGirls in Ajax and Girls Forward across Toronto. Both programs focus on keeping young girls engaged in sports, building self-confidence, positive self-talk, and mental discipline. She has also partnered with UNHCR Canada on their Sports for Humanity initiative, advocating for inclusion through sport. “We live in an instant-gratification world,” she observes. “I want every young girl to know that real things that have value take time. If you can think it, it can be done. Take it from me; fifteen years later, it will come, and it will feel so much better because the journey made it worth it.”
Photo Courtesy of Sadé McCreath
Off the track, Sadé is warm, relatable, and unapologetically herself; an astrological Cancer who loves dancehall music, Real Housewives marathons, and a plate of curry goat. When reflecting on her legacy, her focus shifts back to opening doors for others; “I want to be remembered as a barrier breaker,” she says with quiet conviction. “Even though I was afraid of breaking those barriers, I still did it. I want young girls to say, ‘Sadé did it, so why can’t I?'”
Sadé McCreath’s journey proves that age is just a number, patience pays off, and true power comes from running your own lane with purpose. Her story is not over; she is just getting started.
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