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 (born 2 April 1993) is a famous athlete from Trinidad and Tobago. He competes in the javelin throw, which is a track and field event. Keshorn is an Olympic champion, winning a gold medal in 2012.

He made history as the first male athlete from the Caribbean to win an Olympic gold medal in a throwing event. He was also the first person of African descent to achieve this. Keshorn holds the junior record for javelin throw in North, Central, and Caribbean countries. He is the youngest Olympic gold medalist in men's javelin, winning at just 19 years old. He also became the first athlete to win both a World Junior title and an Olympic title in the same year.

Keshorn Walcott's Journey in Javelin

Starting Young: Early Life and First Medals

Keshorn Walcott was born in Toco, a fishing village in north-east Trinidad. He is the third child of Beverly Walcott and Endy King. Growing up, he loved playing football and cricket. He always tried to keep up with his older brother, Elton, who was also very athletic.

Keshorn started throwing the javelin when he was 15 years old. He quickly became very good at it. Just one week after his 16th birthday in April 2009, he became the Caribbean youth (under-17) champion.

In 2010, he began using the standard 800-gram javelin. He continued to be the best in the Caribbean junior division. He won the Junior (under-20) javelin throw at the CARIFTA Games three times, from 2010 to 2012. In 2012, he set a new junior record for the North, Central, and Caribbean region.

Becoming a World Junior Champion in 2012

Keshorn started his Olympic year in April 2012 with his fourth win in a row at the CARIFTA Juniors. He threw 77.59 m (254 ft 6.59940945 in), which meant he had never been beaten in his CARIFTA career.

In May 2012, he improved his personal best throw twice. For the first time, he threw over 80 meters (262 feet). At the Quantum Classic in Trinidad and Tobago, he threw 78.94 m (258 ft 11.74901575 in). This broke Trinidad's national javelin record set in 1996. It was also a new junior record for the region. One week later, he broke his own records at a meet in Havana, Cuba, with a winning throw of 80.11 m (262 ft 9.81200788 in).

Winning Olympic Gold in London 2012

On Saturday, 11 August 2012, the conditions for javelin throwing at the Olympic stadium were not ideal. But Keshorn handled the pressure of the Olympic finals very well. He threw a personal best distance on his first try, taking the lead. Then, he threw even further on his second try.

He won the Olympic javelin gold medal with a throw of 84.58 m (277 ft 6 in). He beat many top athletes, including those who had thrown over 90 meters. He also defeated two-time Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen. This made Keshorn the youngest-ever Olympic champion in javelin throw. He was also only the second non-European to win this gold medal since 1952.

Steve Backley, a javelin thrower who won three Olympic medals, said it was a "surprise win for Keshorn Walcott." He noted that other athletes struggled with the wind.

After his Olympic victory, Keshorn was celebrated as a national hero in Trinidad and Tobago. The day he returned home, 13 August, was made a national holiday. He received a cash award and land near his hometown of Toco. He also got a luxury home in Port of Spain. The Toco lighthouse and the Toco Secondary School were even renamed in his honor.

Since 2009, Keshorn has been coached by Ismael Lopez Mastrapa, who is from Cuba.

Challenges and Successes: 2013 to 2014

Keshorn's 2013 season was difficult because of an injury. In his first competition after his Olympic win, he threw 84.39 m (276 ft 10.31594489 in) at a meet in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 3 May. This throw was almost as good as his personal best.

In March 2014, Keshorn said his ankle was "back to normal" after some rest. Since there were no World or Olympic competitions that year, he focused on the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He trained in Cuba and Europe to get ready for the competition and the climate. He explained that his coach liked him to train away from distractions.

At the qualifying round of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Keshorn threw a new personal best of 85.28 m (279 ft 9.35531496 in) on 1 August. In the finals on 2 August, he won a silver medal with a throw of 82.67m. Julius Yego of Kenya won gold with 83.87m.

Later that year, on 28 August 2014, he set another new personal best and national record. At a competition in Zurich, Switzerland, he threw 85.77 m (281 ft 5 in). He finished second behind Germany's Thomas Rohler.

Tokyo Olympics 2020

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 (held in 2021), Keshorn Walcott did not make it to the men's javelin throw final. He finished 7th in his qualification group with a best throw of 79.33. This was not enough to qualify for his third straight Olympic javelin final.

Keshorn Walcott's Competition Highlights

Keshorn Walcott has competed in many major events, representing Trinidad and Tobago. Here are some of his key achievements:

• 2009 CARIFTA Games (U17): Gold medal in Javelin throw (59.30 m)
• 2010 CARIFTA Games (U20): Gold medal in Javelin throw (63.41 m)
• 2010 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U20): Gold medal in Javelin throw (67.01 m)
• 2011 CARIFTA Games (U20): Gold medal in Javelin throw (72.04 m)
• 2012 CARIFTA Games (U20): Gold medal in Javelin throw (77.59 m)
• 2012 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U20): Gold medal in Javelin throw (82.83 m)
• 2012 World Junior Championships: Gold medal in Javelin throw (78.64 m)
• 2012 Olympic Games (London): Gold medal in Javelin throw (84.58 m) - a national record!
• 2014 Commonwealth Games: Silver medal in Javelin throw (82.67 m)
• 2015 Pan American Games: Gold medal in Javelin throw (83.27 m)
• 2016 Olympic Games (Rio de Janeiro): Bronze medal in Javelin throw (85.38 m)
• 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games: Gold medal in Javelin throw (84.47 m)
• 2019 Pan American Games: Silver medal in Javelin throw (83.55 m)
• 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games: Gold medal in Javelin throw (83.60 m)
• 2024 Olympic Games (Paris): 7th place in Javelin throw (86.16 m)

Keshorn Walcott's Best Throws Each Year

Here are Keshorn Walcott's best javelin throws for different years:

• 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 (This is his national record!)
• 2016 – 88.68 m (290 ft 11.21358268 in)
• 2017 – 86.61 m (284 ft 1.71751969 in)

See also

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