Gwen Berry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gwen Berry

Berry in 2018
Personal information
Born	(1989-06-29) June 29, 1989 (age 36) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Height	5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m)
Weight	88 kg (194 lb)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Hammer throw
College team	Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Club	NYAC & NIKE
Turned pro	2011
Medal record Pan American Games Gold 2019 Lima Hammer Pan American Sports Festival Gold 2014 Mexico City Hammer

Gwendolyn Denise Berry (born June 29, 1989) is an American track and field athlete. She is best known for her amazing skills in the hammer throw. Gwen is one of the top hammer throwers ever. Her best throw of 77.78 meters ranks her among the best in history.

She also holds a world record in the weight throw. This record is 25.60 meters, set in March 2017. Gwen has won the national championship in the weight throw three times. She also won a gold medal in the hammer throw at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival. In 2019, she became the Pan American Games Champion in the hammer throw.

Gwen Berry's Journey in Sports

Starting Out and College Years

Gwen Berry was born to Michael Berry and Laura Hayes. She grew up in Florissant, Missouri. Gwen went to McCluer High School. There, she played basketball at first. In the off-season, she started doing track and field. She competed in the triple jump.

In 2007, Gwen began studying at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She studied psychology and criminal justice. She joined the Southern Illinois Salukis college team. This is where she started throwing events. In 2008, she placed fourth in the hammer throw at the USA Junior Championships.

Gwen's throwing skills got much better the next year. She won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) championship. She won in both the weight throw and shot put. She placed eleventh in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

In 2010, she earned special honors called NCAA All-American. This was for her performance in the weight throw and shot put indoors. She also earned it for the hammer throw outdoors. She finished fourth at the 2010 NCAA Outdoors. That season, she set her best scores. These were 16.30 meters for shot put, 20.48 meters for weight throw, and 62.55 meters for hammer throw.

Gwen first competed for the United States internationally in 2010. This was at the 2010 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics. She won a bronze medal in the hammer throw.

In her final year at Southern Illinois, Gwen reached new heights. She threw a personal best of 16.99 meters in shot put. This won her the MVC outdoor title. Later, she placed twelfth at the 2011 Championships. In the weight throw, she threw 22.71 meters in Bloomington, Indiana. This was the second-best throw in the world that year.

She was a favorite to win the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships. But she didn't perform as well, finishing tenth. She said that being smaller than other athletes made her feel nervous. In the outdoor season, she set a personal record. She won the hammer throw at the Drake Relays. Her throw of 70.52 meters put her in the world's top 25 athletes for that year. Nerves affected her again at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She didn't make it to the final. This was despite being the third-best thrower in the country.

Becoming a Professional Athlete

After college, Gwen kept competing. She focused on the weight throw indoors. For outdoor seasons, she focused on the hammer throw. At the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she finished sixth. In 2012, she came third in the weight throw. This was at the 2012 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

She set a new hammer throw best of 71.95 meters in April. She entered the 2012 United States Olympic Trials. She was ranked as the second-best American woman. However, she didn't perform as well as before. She finished seventh with a throw of 68.84 meters. Even with this result, the New York Athletic Club asked her to join them. They encouraged her to keep playing the sport.

Gwen won her first national title in 2013. This was at the 2013 USA Indoors. She threw the weight 24.70 meters. She beat many strong competitors. She achieved a best of 73.81 meters for the hammer that year. But she didn't do well at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, placing ninth.

She won her weight throw national title again in 2014. The 2014 season was her first time competing on the international professional circuit. She ranked eighth in the 2014 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge. She was seventh at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Still, she was chosen for the Pan American Sports Festival. There, she won a gold medal. Her throw was 72.04 meters, her best of the season. She even beat Yipsi Moreno, a three-time world champion. Gwen looked up to Yipsi Moreno. That season, Gwen reached her highest world ranking, placing 17th overall.

Gwen skipped the indoor season in 2015. She competed on the circuit again. She placed tenth in the 2015 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge final standings. This made her the second-best American. Gwen threw over seventy meters for the first time nationally. This was at the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. But other strong athletes performed very well. This left her in fifth place overall.

At the start of 2016, Gwen was very strong in the weight throw. She won four competitions in a row. Her throws were all over 24 meters. This included her third win at the 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She was ranked number one globally for the season. Her hammer throw also got much better. She consistently threw beyond seventy meters.

Gwen placed second in the hammer throw at the 2016 Olympic Trials. She competed for the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She finished 14th.

At the 2020 Olympic Trials, Gwen placed third in the hammer throw. She represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She made it to the final round and finished 11th.

Personal Records

Outdoor

• Shot put – 16.99 m (2011) Cedar Falls (USA)
• Hammer throw – 77.78 m (2018)

Indoor

• Shot put – 16.30 m (2010) Charleston (USA)
• Weight throw – 25.60m (2017) (WR) Albuquerque (USA)

International Competitions

¹No mark in the final

National Titles

• USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
  • Weight throw: 2013, 2014, 2016
• USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
  • Hammer throw: 2017

See also

• Olympic Games
• United States at the Olympics
• Women's sports