Willie (foreground) being interviewed by Dwight Stones in 2006
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Kelly Jeromy Willie | ||||||||||||||||||
Born |
September 7, 1982 (age 34) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
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Medal record
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Kelly Jeromy Willie (born September 7, 1982) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the 400-meter dash.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, he attended Sterling High School and competed in track while there. Willie attended Louisiana State University and ran for their LSU Tigers team, being a three-time NCAA champion in the relay and the 400 m runner-up in 2004. He ran for the American 4×400-meter relay team at the 2004 Olympics, but only in the qualifying heats as Otis Harris and Jeremy Wariner were rested to be fully fit for the final.
With strong American 400 metre runners like Andrew Rock, Derrick Brew, Darold Williamson and Wariner (who constituted the gold-winning relay team at the 2005 World Championships), and even LaShawn Merritt, Jamel Ashley and Terry Gatson, Willie has faced extremely tough competition in terms of qualifying for major international events where only three participants from each state are allowed.