Keshorn Walcott facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Keshorn Walcott

Walcott at the 2012 Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1993-04-02) 2 April 1993 (age 32) Toco, Trinidad and Tobago
Residence	Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	90 kg (198 lb)
Sport
Country	Trinidad and Tobago
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Javelin throw
Club	Javelin throw
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	NR 90.16 m (2015)
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Javelin throw Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Javelin throw Commonwealth Games Silver 2014 Glasgow Javelin throw Pan American Games Gold 2015 Toronto Javelin throw Silver 2019 Lima Javelin throw Continental Cup Gold 2014 Marrakech Javelin throw World Junior Championships Gold 2012 Barcelona Javelin throw

Keshorn "Keshie" Walcott is a famous athlete from Trinidad and Tobago. He was born on April 2, 1993. He competes in a sport called javelin throw, where athletes throw a long spear-like object as far as they can. Keshorn is an Olympic champion, which means he won a gold medal at the Olympic Games. He won his gold medal in 2012.

He made history by being the first male athlete from the Caribbean, and the first of African descent, to win a gold medal in a throwing event at the Olympics. He was also the youngest person ever to win an Olympic gold medal in men's javelin, at just 19 years old. What's even more amazing is that he won both the World Junior title and the Olympic title in the same year!

Keshorn Walcott's Journey

Early Life and Starting Javelin

Keshorn grew up in a fishing village called Toco in Trinidad. He was the third child of Beverly Walcott and Endy King. When he was younger, he loved playing football and cricket. He always tried to keep up with his older brother, Elton, who was also very good at sports.

Keshorn didn't start throwing the javelin until he was 15. But once he did, he quickly became very good at it! Just one week after his 16th birthday in April 2009, he became the Caribbean youth champion for athletes under 17.

Becoming a Junior Champion

In 2010, Keshorn started using the standard javelin, which weighs 800 grams. He continued to be the best junior javelin thrower in the Caribbean. He won the CARIFTA Games (a big competition for young athletes) three times in a row from 2010 to 2012. In 2012, he even set a new record for junior athletes in North, Central America, and the Caribbean.

He started his Olympic year in April 2012 with his fourth win at the CARIFTA Juniors. He threw 77.59 m (254 ft 6.59940945 in) meters, which meant he had never been beaten in his CARIFTA career. In May 2012, he threw over 80 meters (262 feet) for the first time. He broke Trinidad's national javelin record with a throw of 78.94 m (258 ft 11.74901575 in) meters. A week later, he broke his own record again with a winning throw of 80.11 m (262 ft 9.81200788 in) meters in Cuba.

Winning Olympic Gold in London 2012

On August 11, 2012, Keshorn competed in the Olympic javelin final in London. The weather conditions were not perfect for throwing. But Keshorn handled the pressure like a true champion! On his very first throw, he threw his personal best distance, putting him in the lead. Then, on his second throw, he threw even farther!

He won the Olympic gold medal with an amazing throw of 84.58 m (277 ft 6 in). He beat many top athletes, including those who had thrown over 90 meters and even two-time Olympic champions. This win made Keshorn the youngest Olympic javelin champion ever. He was also only the second non-European athlete to win Olympic gold in men's javelin since 1952.

After his big win, Keshorn was celebrated as a national hero in Trinidad and Tobago. The day he returned home, August 13, was even made a national holiday! He received money, land, and a luxury home. The Toco lighthouse and the Toco Secondary School were also renamed in his honor. Since 2009, Keshorn has been coached by Ismael Lopez Mastrapa, who is from Cuba.

Later Competitions and Achievements

In 2013, Keshorn faced some challenges due to an injury. However, in his first competition after the Olympics, he threw 84.39 m (276 ft 10.31594489 in) meters, which was very close to his personal best.

In 2014, after recovering from his ankle injury, Keshorn focused on the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He set a new personal best of 85.28 m (279 ft 9.35531496 in) meters in the qualifying round. In the finals, he won a silver medal with a throw of 82.67 meters. Later that year, he set another new personal best and national record of 85.77 m (281 ft 5 in) at a competition in Switzerland.

Keshorn continued to compete at the highest level. He won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games and a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He also won gold at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Tokyo Olympics 2020 (held in 2021)

At the Tokyo Olympics, Keshorn Walcott did not make it to the javelin throw final. His best throw was 79.33 meters, which placed him 7th in his group. This was not enough to qualify for the final round.

Paris Olympics 2024

Keshorn Walcott competed in the Paris Olympics in 2024. He finished 7th in the javelin throw final with a throw of 86.16 meters.

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Trinidad and Tobago
2009	CARIFTA Games (U17)	Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia	1st	Javelin throw (700g)	59.30 m
	World Youth Championships	Brixen, Italy	13th (q)	Javelin throw (700g)	66.72 m
2010	CARIFTA Games (U20)	George Town, Cayman Islands	1st	Javelin throw	63.41 m
	Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U20)	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	1st	Javelin throw	67.01 m
	World Junior Championships	Moncton, Canada	16th (q)	Javelin throw	66.05 m
2011	CARIFTA Games (U20)	Hamilton, Bermuda	1st	Javelin throw	72.04 m
	Central American and Caribbean Championships	Mayagüez, Puerto Rico	4th	Javelin throw	70.98 m
	Pan American Games	Guadalajara, Mexico	7th	Javelin throw	75.77 m
2012	CARIFTA Games (U20)	Hamilton, Bermuda	1st	Javelin throw	77.59 m
	Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U20)	San Salvador, El Salvador	1st	Javelin throw	82.83 m
	World Junior Championships	Barcelona, Spain	1st	Javelin throw	78.64 m
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	1st	Javelin throw	84.58 m (NR)
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	19th (q)	Javelin throw	78.78 m
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, United Kingdom	2nd	Javelin throw	82.67 m
2015	Pan American Games	Toronto, Canada	1st	Javelin throw	83.27 m
	World Championships	Beijing, China	26th (q)	Javelin throw	76.83 m
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	3rd	Javelin throw	85.38 m
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	7th	Javelin throw	84.48 m
2018	Central American and Caribbean Games	Barranquilla, Colombia	1st	Javelin throw	84.47 m
2019	Pan American Games	Lima, Peru	2nd	Javelin throw	83.55 m
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	11th	Javelin throw	77.47 m
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	16th (q)	Javelin throw	79.33 m
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	16th (q)	Javelin throw	78.87 m
	NACAC Championships	Freeport, Bahamas	2nd	Javelin throw	83.94 m
2023	Central American and Caribbean Games	San Salvador, El Salvador	1st	Javelin throw	83.60 m
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	7th	Javelin throw	86.16 m

Seasonal bests

• 2010 – 67.01 m (219 ft 10.06397638 in)
• 2011 – 75.77 m (248 ft 6.94586615 in)
• 2012 – 84.58 m (277 ft 5.79625985 in)
• 2013 – 84.39 m (276 ft 10.31594489 in)
• 2014 – 85.77 m (281 ft 4.64665355 in)
• 2015 – 90.16 m (295 ft 9.48129922 in) NR
• 2016 – 88.68 m (290 ft 11.21358268 in)
• 2017 – 86.61 m (284 ft 1.71751969 in)

See also

In Spanish: Keshorn Walcott para niños

• Trinidad and Tobago at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• List of javelin throwers