Antwon Hicks facts for kids
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing the  United States |
||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Gold | 2002 Kingston | 110 m hurdles |
Antwon Toritseju Hicks was born on March 12, 1983. He is a talented athlete from both America and Nigeria. Antwon is known as a hurdler in track and field sports. He specializes in the 110-meter hurdles race.
Antwon won a gold medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He was the first American to win this specific title. He also became a two-time champion in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
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Early Life and College Career
Antwon Hicks grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. His parents are Kimilar and Ronnie Graham. He went to Hot Springs High School. There, he competed in high jump and hurdling events.
He was a state high school champion 15 times. In 1999, he won the American junior high jump title. After high school, Antwon attended the University of Mississippi. He competed for their Ole Miss Rebels team from 2002 to 2004.
College Achievements
While in college, Antwon set a school record. He ran the 60-meter hurdles in 7.61 seconds. This was during his indoor track season. Outdoors, he finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA championships. This was in his first year. In 2004, he was the runner-up at the Southeastern Conference Championships.
National and International Competitions
Antwon Hicks competed in many national events. He reached the semi-finals in the 110-meter hurdles. This was at the 2004 United States Olympic Trials. He then placed sixth at the 2005 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He set a new personal best time of 13.35 seconds there.
Olympic Trials and Best Times
Antwon came very close to making the Olympic team twice. He finished fifth at the 2008 Olympic Trials. He then placed fourth at the 2012 Olympic Trials. At the 2008 event, he ran his fastest time ever. He finished the semi-finals in 13.09 seconds.
This time was the fourth fastest in the world that year. It also placed him among the top thirty hurdlers of all time. Only a few athletes ran faster than him that year. These included Olympic champion Dayron Robles and American Olympic medalists David Oliver and Terrence Trammell.
Professional Circuit and Nigeria
Even though he was a top athlete, Antwon never competed at the global level as a senior. However, he was a well-known athlete on the professional track circuit. He won the Bislett Games in 2009. This was part of the 2009 IAAF Golden League season. He also ranked seventh at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final.
Later in his career, Antwon decided to compete for Nigeria. Another American hurdler, Tyron Akins, also chose to do this around 2014.
Personal Best Records
Here are Antwon Hicks' best times and distances in various events:
- 110 metres hurdles – 13.09 seconds (set in 2008)
- 200 metres – 21.52 seconds (set in 2005)
- 60 metres indoor – 6.83 seconds (set in 2011)
- 55 metres hurdles indoor – 7.15 seconds (set in 2004)
- 60 metres hurdles indoor – 7.53 seconds (set in 2008)
- High jump indoor – 2.10 meters (set in 2002)
