Jamaica’s champion runner, Sean Bailey, 26, announced his engagement to his long-time girlfriend Denae McFarlane after proposing to her on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2024. He shared the information on Instagram, posting, “She said yes!” The momentous engagement comes at the same time as the 400-meter national champion is preparing to qualify for a place on the Jamaican team that will compete in this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Running is in the family
Sean Bailey is from Spanish Town, Jamaica, and attended St Jago High School before moving on to the University of Texas-El Paso. His sister is Jamaican sprint legend, Veronica Campbell-Brown, who competed at five Olympics and won eight medals, including three gold. She is regarded as one of the best sprinters in history. Sean remembers watching his sister as she won gold medals in 2004 and 2008, while she remembers realizing that he liked track and field from a young age. She encouraged him “to work hard at it.” Now she is happy to see how he continues to improve.
Bailey’s athletic achievements
While at the university in 2021, he made the final of the NCAA 400-meter event before suffering a hamstring injury. He won the men’s 400-meter race at the Jamaican Olympic Trials with a time of 45.04 seconds and was part of the nation’s Olympic team for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. At the Games, he competed in the mixed 4×400 meter relay and finished in seventh place in the final. He won the Jamaican men’s title in 2023, clocking 44.48 seconds over the distance, and has steadily improved his ranking among the top 400-meter runners in the world. He ran a personal best of 44.43 at the Drake Relays in 2023 and earned a victory over Olympic gold-medal runner Kirani James that season as well. At the World Athletic Championships in Budapest, he finished fifth, after which he signed on with Adidas in a professional contract.
Denae McFarlane, runner
Bailey’s intended, Denae McFarlane, comes from Clarendon Parish and was a star at Edwin Allen High School. She is currently a senior at the University of Texas-El Paso where she has shown her athletic talents in track and field. Representing the university in athletic competitions, McFarlane was part of the 2023 All-Conference USA Second Team in the 100-meter event, the All-Conference USA Second Team in the 4×100-meter Outdoors competition, and the 2023 All-Conference USA Third Team in the 60-meter indoor event.
Photo – Sean Bailey
