Keshorn Walcott

Keshorn Walcott

Keshorn Walcott at the 2012 Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	Trinidad and Tobago
Born	(1993-04-02) 2 April 1993 (age 23) , Trinidad and Tobago
Residence	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	90 kg (200 lb)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Javelin throw
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	90.16 (2015) NR
Medal record Olympic Games 2012 London Javelin throw 2016 Rio de Janeiro Javelin throw Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow Javelin throw Pan American Games 2015 Toronto Javelin throw Continental Cup 2014 Marrakech Javelin throw World Junior Championships 2012 Barcelona Javelin throw

Keshorn "Keshie" Walcott, ORTT (born 2 April 1993) is a Trinidadian javelin thrower and the 2012 Olympic champion. He is the first Caribbean male athlete to win the gold medal in a throwing event in the history of the Olympics. He is also the holder of the North, Central American and Caribbean junior record.

Walcott is the youngest Olympic gold medallist in the men's javelin (19 years 131 days), and the first athlete in any track and field event to win World Junior and Olympic titles in an individual event the same year.

Born the third (and last) child of Beverly Walcott and Endy King, Walcott grew up playing football (soccer) and cricket, striving to keep up with his athletically talented older brother Elton. He was raised in the fishing village of , in north-east Trinidad. He did not take up the javelin until the age of 15, but found immediate success. By April 2009, one week after his 16th birthday, he was the Caribbean youth (under-17) champion.

In 2010 he stepped up to the standard regulation javelin (800-gram), and he continued his domination of the Caribbean junior division, as the three-time winner in the Junior (under-20) javelin throw at the CARIFTA Games in 2010 to 2012, setting a new NACAC North, Central American and Caribbean junior record in 2012.

He began the Olympic year in April with his fourth-consecutive victory at CARIFTA Juniors. A record throw of 77.59 m (254 ft 6 ¹⁄₂ in) earned him the distinction of competing unbeaten throughout his CARIFTA career. In late May 2012 he twice improved his personal best, breaking through the 80-meter mark (262 feet) for the first time. At the Quantum Classic in Trinidad and Tobago he threw 78.94 m (258 ft 11 ³⁄₄ in), breaking Trinidad's national javelin record of 78.06 m (256 ft 1 in), set in 1996 by Kurt Thompson. It was also a NACAC junior record as well. One week later he reset all those marks, while competing at the IAAF International Centennial Meet in Havana, Cuba. He extended the records with a winning throw of 80.11 m (262 ft 9 ³⁄₄ in).