Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
At age 13, Shanoya Douglas approached coach Garth Smythe during a training session in Top Lincoln, Westmoreland, Jamaica, confident in her sprinting ability. Smythe saw her talent and invited her to train, soon taking her under his guidance.
Douglas comes from a sporting family, with relatives involved in track and field, netball, and U20 football for Jamaica. While she has considered a future in nursing, athletics remains her main focus.
Her early competition experience at the Jamaican High School Championships—known as Champs—included a fourth-place finish in her U14 100m heat in 2022, motivating her to improve. By 2023, she reached the 200m and 400m finals, finishing fourth and eighth respectively, and has not lost a final at Champs since. In 2024, she won the 400m title, celebrating her progress and setting new goals.
Douglas competes in multiple sprint events. Coach Smythe describes the 200m as her favorite and the 400m as her 'darling,' while the 100m is used to improve speed and reaction, though it’s her least preferred.
Her breakthrough year was 2024, with victories in the 200m and 400m at Champs, followed by a 200m win at the CARIFTA Games. She then competed at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, where colder conditions presented challenges for several teammates.