Kerron Clement facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kerron Clement

Clement at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Kerron Stephon Clement
Nationality	Trinidadian-American
Born	(1985-10-31) October 31, 1985 (age 39) Port of Spain, Trinidad
Height	6ft 2in
Weight	185 lb
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	400 meters, 400 meters hurdles
College team	University of Florida
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 4×400 m relay Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m hurdles Silver 2008 Beijing 400 m hurdles World Championships Gold 2007 Osaka 400 m hurdles Gold 2007 Osaka 4×400 m relay Gold 2009 Berlin 400 m hurdles Gold 2009 Berlin 4×400 m relay Bronze 2017 London 400 m hurdles

Kerron Stephon Clement is a famous American track and field athlete. He was born in Trinidad on October 31, 1985. Kerron is best known for running in the 400-meter hurdles and the 400-meter sprint.

He once held the indoor world record for the 400-meter sprint. He broke Michael Johnson's record in 2005. Kerron has won many big races. He won gold in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

He also won gold at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won a silver medal. He kept his world title at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. Kerron is also a key part of the American 4x400-meter relay team. He has won two world championships and an Olympic gold medal in this event.

As a young athlete, he set a record at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics. While at the University of Florida, he won two NCAA titles. He quickly became a top senior athlete. He won the hurdles title at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2005 and 2006. He earned his first global gold medal at the 2006 IAAF World Cup.

Early Life and High School Success

Clement at the 2007 World Championships

Kerron Clement was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. His family moved to the United States in 1998. He became a very good athlete at La Porte High School in La Porte, Texas.

He won both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles. These wins were at the USATF Youth Athletics Championships. He also won the high school National Scholastic Championship in 2002. This was for the 110-meter high hurdles. He won the 400-meter hurdles at the same event in 2003.

College Career at University of Florida

Clement received a sports scholarship to the University of Florida. He joined the Florida Gators track and field team. He competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) events in 2004 and 2005.

In 2004, he won the NCAA outdoor championships. This was for the 400-meter hurdles. He won this event again in 2005. Clement became a U.S. citizen in June 2004. He could have tried out for the U.S. Olympic team. But he chose to compete at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics instead.

At the World Junior Championships in July, he won a gold medal. He set a new record in the 400-meter hurdles. His time was 48.51 seconds. Clement also helped the American 4x400-meter relay team. They set a world junior record of 3:01.09.

Breaking a World Record

On March 12, 2005, Clement broke an indoor world record. He was representing the University of Florida. He ran the 400-meter sprint in 44.57 seconds. This happened at the NCAA indoor championships. The record was previously held by Michael Johnson. His time was 44.63 seconds. After this, Clement helped Florida's 4x400-meter indoor relay team. They finished in 3:03.51.

Professional Career Highlights

Clement set a personal best in the 400-meter hurdles in 2005. He ran it in 47.24 seconds. This was the fastest time in seven years. He won the 2005 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships title. He decided to become a professional athlete in 2005. He continued to train in Gainesville, Florida.

At the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, he finished fourth. He represented the United States at the 2006 IAAF World Cup. He won the hurdles title there.

World and Olympic Success

Clement won a gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles. This was at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka. His time was 47.61 seconds. He was ranked the number one 400-meter hurdler. In late 2007, he moved to California. He trained with coach Bob Kersee for the 2008 Olympics.

Clement qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. This was on June 29, 2008. He competed in the 400-meter hurdles final. He won a silver medal, finishing second to Angelo Taylor. He later won a gold medal in the 4x400-meter relay. He finished the year with another gold medal. This was at the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Final.

The next year, he competed at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. He won the gold medal in 47.91 seconds. He beat Javier Culson and Bershawn Jackson. He also won another gold at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final.

In 2011, he started the outdoor season well. He ran a 48.74 on May 7. But he did not improve on that time later in the year. He had an automatic entry to the World Championships. But his time of 52.11 was not enough to reach the finals.

Clement finished third in the 400-meter hurdles in 2015. This was at the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This allowed him to qualify for the 2015 World Championships in Athletics.

Personal Best Times

Clement at the 2010 Bislett Games

Kerron Clement has achieved impressive times in various track and field events. Here are some of his best performances:

See also

In Spanish: Kerron Clement para niños

• Florida Gators
• List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Olympians