Kerron Clement
Encyclopedia
Kerron Stephon Clement is Trinidad
ian-born track and field
athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles. He also competes in the 400-meter sprint and holds the indoor world record for the event, having broken Michael Johnson
's mark in 2005.
Clement won the hurdles at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
and took the silver behind Angelo Taylor
at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He retained his world title at the 2009 World Championships
. He is a frequent member of the American 4x400-meter relay and is a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist in the event.
As a junior athlete, he set a championship record at the 2004 World Junior Championships
and won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2004/2005. He quickly progressed on the senior circuit, taking the hurdles title at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
in both 2005 and 2006. He was fourth in his first global appearance at the 2005 World Championships
and won his first global gold at the 2006 IAAF World Cup
.
Clement was born in Port of Spain
, Trinidad and Tobago
. His family moved to the United States in 1998, where he became a successful high school athlete at La Porte, Texas
winning both 110 and 400-meter hurdles at the USATF Youth Athletics Championships.
Clement became a U.S. citizen in June 2004. At the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
in July, he won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles in a championship record time of 48.51 seconds. Clement also ran a leg for the American 4x400-meter relay team and set a world junior record of 3:01.09. He also won the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) championships in the 400-meter hurdles.
On March 12, 2005, representing the University of Florida
, he broke the indoor world record for the 400-meter sprint at the NCAA indoor championships in Randal Tyson Track Center
in Fayetteville
, Arkansas
with a time of 44.57 seconds. His split at 200-meter was 21.08 seconds. The record was held for ten years previously by Michael Johnson
at 44.63 seconds. Afterwards, Clement anchored Florida's 4x400-meter indoor relay to a time of 3:03.51.
Clement set a personal best and 2005 world leading performance in the 400-meter hurdles with a 47.24 seconds; winning the 2005 US Outdoor Track and Field Championships title at Carson, California
. This was the fastest time posted for the 400-meter hurdles in seven years. Clement faded during the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
in Helsinki
, Finland and missed out on the medals, finishing fourth. He represented the United States at the 2006 IAAF World Cup
and won the hurdles title ahead of South Africa
n L. J. van Zyl
.
Clement earned a gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2007 World Championship
in Osaka
. His time of 47.61 seconds was a season's best.
Clement qualified in the 400-meter hurdles for the 2008 Summer Olympics on June 29, 2008 at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Clement advanced to the final where he was a slight favourite over compatriot Angelo Taylor
, but Taylor ran a personal best time to win the gold medal. Clement came second for silver, but would later win a gold medal in the 4x400 meter relay despite not racing in the final. He closed the year on the top of the podium with a gold medal at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final
.
The following year he competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
. Reigning Olympic champion, Taylor, was eliminated in the heats. Clement won the gold medal in a season's best time of 47.91, beating Javier Culson
and Bershawn Jackson
to the title. He took another gold at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
, which was the last edition of the competition.
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
ian-born track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who represents the United States and specializes in the 400-meter hurdles. He also competes in the 400-meter sprint and holds the indoor world record for the event, having broken Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (athlete)
Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...
's mark in 2005.
Clement won the hurdles at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
and took the silver behind Angelo Taylor
Angelo Taylor
Angelo F. Taylor is an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics....
at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He retained his world title at the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
. He is a frequent member of the American 4x400-meter relay and is a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist in the event.
As a junior athlete, he set a championship record at the 2004 World Junior Championships
2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics was the 2004 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Grosseto in Italy.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:-References:*. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-06-06....
and won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2004/2005. He quickly progressed on the senior circuit, taking the hurdles title at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
in both 2005 and 2006. He was fourth in his first global appearance at the 2005 World Championships
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
and won his first global gold at the 2006 IAAF World Cup
2006 IAAF World Cup
The 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event, held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which took place on 16 and 17 September 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece....
.
Career
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. His family moved to the United States in 1998, where he became a successful high school athlete at La Porte, Texas
La Porte, Texas
La Porte is a city in Harris County, Texas within the Bay Area of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 31,880...
winning both 110 and 400-meter hurdles at the USATF Youth Athletics Championships.
Clement became a U.S. citizen in June 2004. At the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics was the 2004 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Grosseto in Italy.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:-References:*. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-06-06....
in July, he won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles in a championship record time of 48.51 seconds. Clement also ran a leg for the American 4x400-meter relay team and set a world junior record of 3:01.09. He also won the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) championships in the 400-meter hurdles.
On March 12, 2005, representing the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, he broke the indoor world record for the 400-meter sprint at the NCAA indoor championships in Randal Tyson Track Center
Randal Tyson Track Center
The Randal Tyson Track Center is a 5,500-seat indoor track in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was built in 2000. It is home to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks track and field teams. It was also home for one year to a the semi-pro Arkansas Stars. The facility is located behind the first base...
in Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
with a time of 44.57 seconds. His split at 200-meter was 21.08 seconds. The record was held for ten years previously by Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (athlete)
Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...
at 44.63 seconds. Afterwards, Clement anchored Florida's 4x400-meter indoor relay to a time of 3:03.51.
Clement set a personal best and 2005 world leading performance in the 400-meter hurdles with a 47.24 seconds; winning the 2005 US Outdoor Track and Field Championships title at Carson, California
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
. This was the fastest time posted for the 400-meter hurdles in seven years. Clement faded during the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland and missed out on the medals, finishing fourth. He represented the United States at the 2006 IAAF World Cup
2006 IAAF World Cup
The 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event, held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which took place on 16 and 17 September 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece....
and won the hurdles title ahead of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n L. J. van Zyl
L. J. van Zyl
Louis Jacob van Zyl, known as L.J. van Zyl, is a South African athlete competing in the 400 metre hurdles. He is the South African record holder in the event with a personal best of 47.66 seconds...
.
Clement earned a gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2007 World Championship
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. His time of 47.61 seconds was a season's best.
Clement qualified in the 400-meter hurdles for the 2008 Summer Olympics on June 29, 2008 at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Clement advanced to the final where he was a slight favourite over compatriot Angelo Taylor
Angelo Taylor
Angelo F. Taylor is an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics....
, but Taylor ran a personal best time to win the gold medal. Clement came second for silver, but would later win a gold medal in the 4x400 meter relay despite not racing in the final. He closed the year on the top of the podium with a gold medal at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final
2008 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 6th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, Germany on September 13 and September 14, 2008.A number of road races also took place on the second day of competition. There were seven different starting points around the Stuttgart area and the distances varied...
.
The following year he competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
. Reigning Olympic champion, Taylor, was eliminated in the heats. Clement won the gold medal in a season's best time of 47.91, beating Javier Culson
Javier Culson
Javier Culson Pérez is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles.-Athletic career:Born in Ponce, Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade with a time of...
and Bershawn Jackson
Bershawn Jackson
Bershawn Jackson is an American athlete, who mainly competes in the 400 m hurdles, but is also a capable 400 m runner.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Jackson won a bronze medal in the 400 m hurdles...
to the title. He took another gold at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the...
, which was the last edition of the competition.
Personal bests
| Event | Time (s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meters | 10.23 | Coral Gables Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami.... , Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
April 14, 2007 |
| 200 meters | 20.48 | Coral Gables Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami.... , Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
April 14, 2007 |
| 300 meters (indoor) | 31.94 | Fayetteville Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks... , Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... |
June 26, 2005 |
| 400 meters | 44.48 | Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
August 7, 2007 |
| 55 meters hurdles (indoor) | 7.28 | Gainesville Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth... , Florida Florida Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... |
January 15, 2005 |
| 60 meters hurdles (indoor) | 7.80 | Lexington Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region... , Kentucky Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... |
February 28, 2004 |
| 110 meters hurdles | 13.77 | Omaha Omaha, Nebraska Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River... , Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River.... |
August 8, 2002 |
| 400 meters hurdles | 47.24 | Carson Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city.... , California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... |
June 26, 2005 |
- All information from IAAF profile. Last updated October 15, 2008
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians