Jared Connaughton facts for kids
Connaughton in 2009
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 20, 1985 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Residence | Keller, Texas, U.S. |
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb; 12 st 8 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| Event(s) | 50 metres, 60 metres, 100 metres, 150 metres, 200 metres |
| Club | Islanders Track and Field Club |
Jared Connaughton (born July 20, 1985) is a Canadian former track athlete. He was a fast runner, specializing in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints. Today, he works as a coach for cross country and track and field at Fort Worth Country Day School in Fort Worth, Texas.
Contents
Early Life and Junior Running Career
Jared Connaughton was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. His parents are Susan and Neal Connaughton. He went to Bluefield High School and finished in 2003.
Jared also played youth soccer and hockey. He was a talented young athlete. In his junior running career, Jared won four medals at the Canadian Legion Championships. This included one gold medal and three silver medals. He also earned two silver medals at the 2002 Canadian Junior championships.
College Running Achievements
Jared went to The University of Texas at Arlington. He studied there and earned his degree in 2008. While in college, he was a star athlete.
He was named the best track and field athlete in the Southland Conference in 2006. This was for both indoor and outdoor seasons. He set a new record in the 60-meter race during the indoor championships. Later, he set another record in the 200-meter race.
In 2006, Jared ran very fast times in the 100-meter and 200-meter races. He won both events at the Southland Conference championships. He was again named the outstanding athlete of the year. In 2007, he helped his team win their first outdoor championship since 1997. Jared was recognized as one of the 50 greatest Southland Conference track and field athletes in 2013.
International Running Career
Jared Connaughton represented Canada in many big competitions.
Canada Games and Early International Races
In August 2005, Jared won both the 100-meter and 200-meter events at the Canada Summer Games. These games were held in Regina, Saskatchewan. He was the first person from Prince Edward Island to win two gold medals at one Canada Games. He was also the first gold medalist since 1969.
In 2006, Jared competed for Team Canada in the NACAC U-23 championships. He won a bronze medal in the 200-meter race. He later finished second at the Canadian Championship meet.
Olympic and World Championship Appearances
Jared became the Canadian National Champion in the 200-meter sprint in 2008. He set a new championship record with his time of 20.34 seconds. This happened in Windsor, Ontario.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Jared competed in the 200-meter race. He also ran in the 4 × 100-meter relay for Canada. His relay team finished 6th in the finals.
In 2009, Jared won a bronze and a silver medal at the Canadian Championships. He then went on to the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. He ran in the 200-meter race and was part of the 4x100-meter relay team. The relay team finished 5th, which was their best global finish since 1997.
Jared continued to achieve success in 2010. He won a silver medal in the 100-meter race at the Canadian Championships. He then won gold in the 200-meter race, setting a new stadium record. Later that year, he competed at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. He finished 4th in the 200-meter race.
In 2011, Jared won the International Invitational at the Texas Relays. He also earned two silver medals at the Canadian Championships. He was chosen for his third IAAF World Championship team.
London Olympics and Retirement
In 2012, Jared ran his fastest 200-meter race ever, with a time of 20.30 seconds. He won a bronze medal in the 200-meter race at the Canadian Championships.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Jared again competed in the 200-meter race and the 4 × 100-meter relay. His relay team crossed the finish line in 3rd place. However, they were later disqualified due to a lane violation. This meant they lost their bronze medal.
In 2013, Jared faced some injuries. Despite this, he won a silver medal in the 200-meter race at the Canadian Championships. He also won a gold medal as part of the 4x100-meter relay team at the Francophone Games in France.
Injuries continued to affect his season in 2014. He competed at his second Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. On August 29, 2014, Jared officially announced he was retiring from the sport. Throughout his career, he won a total of 19 medals at various Canadian championships.
Best Running Times
Jared Connaughton achieved impressive times in his running career.
| Event | Seconds time | Month | Day | Year | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55m | 6.23 | January | 15 | 2009 | University of Houston |
| 60m | 6.64 | February | 8 | 2009 | Gent, Belgium |
| 100m | 10.15(+1.8) | May | 3 | 2008 | University of Texas at Arlington |
| 200m | 20.30 (+0.3) | May | 9 | 2012 | Fortaleza, Brazil |
| 4 × 100 m Relay | 38.05 | August | 10 | 2012 | London, England - Olympics |
Life After Running
After retiring from competitive running, Jared Connaughton became an athletics coach. He coaches cross country and track and field at Fort Worth Country Day School. He has helped the boys' track and field team win their first championship in over 40 years. He also led the girls' team to their first two championships ever, from 2022 to 2024.
Jared is married to Tamesha, who was also an athlete at the University of Texas-Arlington. They got married in December 2011. They have two children, Morgan and Louis.
