KERRON CLEMENT
Event: 400m hurdles
Height: 6-2
Weight: 184
PR: 400mH - 47.24 (2005); 400m – 44.48 (2007)
Born:  Oct. 31, 1985, in Port of Spain, Trinidad
Current Residence: Gainesville, Fla.
High School: LaPorte (Texas) HS '03
College: University of Florida '07
Coach: Bob Kersee
Agent: Caroline Feith
Club: Nike  

Career Highlights: 2007, 2009 World 400mH champion; 2008 Olympic Games silver medalist; 2008 Olympic Games 4x400m relay gold medalist; 2007, 2009 World Outdoor Champs 4x400m relay gold medalist; 2008 Olympic Trials runner-up; 2-time USA 400m hurdles champion (’05, ’06); 3^rd in 400m at 2009 USA Outdoor Champs; 2-time NCAA Outdoor champion (’04, ’05);  World Indoor 400m record holder; 2005 NCAA Indoor 400m champion; 2004 World Junior 400mH and 4x400m champion; 2-time Visa champion (’05, ’06)

Having already qualified for the Team USA roster for the 2009 World Outdoor Championships as the reigning 400m hurdles world champion, Clement focused on the 400 meters at the USA Outdoor Championships, where he finished third in 45.14 seconds. Clement, who entered the 2009 World Championships final as the #1 ranked men’s 400m hurdler in the world, was in command throughout and successfully defended his 2007 world title in the fastest time in the world that year of 47.91 seconds. Clement joined National Track & Field Hall of Famer Edwin Moses (1983, 1987) and Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic (2001, 2003) as the only men ever to win the world 400m hurdles title twice, with all three accomplishing the feat in consecutive years. Clement’s 2008 season was highlighted by winning the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, and posting the second-fastest time in the world that year of 47.79 seconds from his win in Kingston, Jamaica on May 3. After finishing in fourth place in the 400m hurdles at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Clement made the most of his second opportunity at a World Outdoors. In 2007, he won the gold medal in the fastest time in the world that year of 47.61 seconds. Clement entered the 2006 season looking for an encore after his breakthrough 2005 campaign, and he found it in winning his second consecutive USA Outdoor title in 47.39 seconds, the fastest time in the world that year. After dominating the world as a junior athlete in 2004, Clement proved that he is one of the world’s finest 400m hurdlers in 2005. His personal best time of 47.24 seconds in winning the 2005 USA Outdoor title was the fastest in the world since 1998, and it earned him the overall Visa Championship, and he capped the year off with a fourth-place finish at the World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki, where he ran in lane one. Clement shocked the track world when he ran 44.57 seconds to win the 2005 NCAA indoor 400-meter title on March 12, breaking Michael Johnson’s WR of 44.63, set on March 4, 1995. The 19-year-old sophomore then anchored Florida’s 4x400 meter relay to a collegiate record 3:03.51, previously…Clement went on to win the NCAA 400 hurdles in a meet-record 47.56. Clement enjoyed a phenomenal freshman season at the University of Florida, where he won the NCAA Division I, Southeastern Conference and World Junior Championship titles in the 400m hurdles. Following his amazing season, Clement was ranked #5 in the U.S. by Track & Field News…The 2004 World Junior Championships 400m hurdles final in Grosseto, Italy, was nothing less than spectacular as he set a new championships record of 48.51 seconds… set several national junior Olympic records for 400IH (49.77) ... won the 400m hurdles at the 2002 and 2003 USATF Junior Olympics and at the 2003 adidas Outdoor Championships ... Won the 110m hurdles at the 2002 adidas Outdoor Championships...Won the 110H and 400H at the 2002 USATF Youth Athletic Championships…6-time NCAA All-American.

2009: World Outdoor champion (47.91WL)...World Outdoor 4x400m relay gold medalist (3^rd leg, 2:57.86); 3^rd at USA Outdoor Champs (45.14)...1^st at adidas Track Classic (48.38)…1^st at Osaka (48.60)…3^rd at Nike Prefontaine Classic (48.73)…best of 47.91.
2008: Olympic Games silver medalist (47.98)...2^nd at Olympic Trials (48.36)…7th in 400m at Nike Prefontaine Classic (45.77)…1st in 400mH at Reebok Grand Prix (48.40)...4th in 400m at adidas Track Classic (45.10)...1st at Jamaica (47.79)…ranked #1 in the world by T&FN…best of 47.79.
2007:  World Outdoor champion (47.61WL)...USA Outdoors runner-up (47.80)…4th at Reebok Grand Prix (49.21)…2nd at adidas Track Classic (48.46)…2nd at Kingston (48.72)…2nd at Monaco (48.47)…2nd at Rome (48.26)…2nd at Lausanne (48.31)…2nd at Stockholm (44.48PR)…ranked #1 in world by T&FN…best of 47.61.
2006: USA Outdoor Champion (47.39WL) …ran lead leg in setting indoor 4x400m world record of 3:01.96 with Wallace Spearmon, Darold Williamson and Jeremy Wariner on Feb. 11 at Fayetteville, Ark….1st at Reebok Grand Prix (44.71)…2nd at Nike Prefontaine Classic (49.18)…2nd at Paris (48.57)…8th at Athens  (49.32)…8th at Lausanne (49.07)…1st at London  (48.63)…ranked #4 in world (#2 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 47.39.
2005: USA Outdoor 400mH champion (47.24PR, world leader)…4^th at World Outdoor Champs (48.18)…set NCAA meet record in winning at NCAA Outdoors 400mH (47.56)…set WR in winning NCAA Indoor 400m (44.57)...anchored Florida to 4x400m title at NCAA Indoors (3:03.51 Collegiate Record)…ranked #3 in world (#3 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 47.24.
2004: NCAA Outdoor champ (49.05)…World Junior champ (48.51PR)…anchored Team USA to World Junior 4x400m gold and world junior record :3:01.09)...6th in 4x400m at NCAA Outdoors (3:04.71)…NCAA East Regional champ (49.01)…SEC champion (48.77)…4th at NCAA Indoors 400m (45.90)…2nd in 400m at SEC Indoor Champs (46.32)…SEC Outdoor 4x400m relay champ (3:03.09)…second at USA Juniors (50.86)...ranked #5 in U.S. by T&FN...best of 48.51.
2003: USATF Junior Olympic Young Men’s champ (50.13)…National Scholastic 400m champion… bests of 13.52hs, 50.13.
2002: USATF Junior Olympic Young Men’s champ (49.77)…3rd at Golden West Invitational (35.78hs)…National Scholastic 110mH champ…2nd at Golden West Invitational 110mH (13.63hs)…bests of 35.78hs, 49.77.

9/23/09