Aaron Armstrong
Encyclopedia
Aaron Nigel Armstrong is a track and field
sprint athlete
who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago
.
Armstrong attended the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he ran for the Florida Gators track and field team in NCAA competition. One of his first international medalling performances came at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships: he won the 200 metres
silver medal
behind Usain Bolt
and helped the Trinidad and Tobago team to the gold medal
in the 4 x 100 metres relay
. He reached the quarter-finals of the 200 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
and was sixth in the 2005 IAAF World Athletics Final
.
He was selected to represent his country at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
and finished in fifth place in the 200 m final. He helped his country retain the relay title at the 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships
, but he lost his place in the individual events to his national rivals Emmanuel Callender
and Rondell Sorrillo
(who won gold and silver).
Armstrong represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
. He competed at the 4x100 metres relay together with Marc Burns
, Keston Bledman
and Richard Thompson
. In their qualification heat they placed first in front of Japan
, the Netherlands
and Brazil
. Their time of 38.26 was the fastest of all sixteen teams participating in the first round and they qualified for the final. Armstrong was replaced by Emmanuel Callender
for the final race and they sprinted to a time of 38.06 seconds, the second time after the Jamaica
n team, winning the silver medal. He also took part in the 200 m individual, finishing first in his first round heat, with a time of 20.57 seconds. With 20.58 seconds in the second round he only placed fifth in his heat, which was not enough to qualify for the semi finals.
He ran in the 200 m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
in Berlin
, but he was eliminated in the first heats stage (although his time of 21.38 was a season's best). He took the bronze medal
at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, finishing behind Lerone Clarke
and Mark Lewis-Francis
.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
sprint athlete
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
.
Armstrong attended the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he ran for the Florida Gators track and field team in NCAA competition. One of his first international medalling performances came at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships: he won the 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
behind Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
and helped the Trinidad and Tobago team to the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 4 x 100 metres relay
4 x 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
. He reached the quarter-finals of the 200 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
and was sixth in the 2005 IAAF World Athletics Final
2005 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 3rd IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 9, and September 10, 2005.The hammer throw event for men and women had to take place in Szombathely, Hungary on September 3 as the Monaco stadium was not large enough to hold the event.- Medal...
.
He was selected to represent his country at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held in Melbourne, Australia from 19 March to 25 March 2006. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Furthermore, three men's and three women's disability events were held within the programme...
and finished in fifth place in the 200 m final. He helped his country retain the relay title at the 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships
2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships
The 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships were held at the Estadio Pedro Grajales in Cali, Colombia between 4–6 July 2008. A total of 44 events were contested, of which 22 by male and 22 by female athletes. During the three-day competition, six championship records were broken...
, but he lost his place in the individual events to his national rivals Emmanuel Callender
Emmanuel Callender
Emmanuel Callender is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.Callender represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He competed at the 4 x 100 m relay, together with Marc Burns, Aaron Armstrong, Keston Bledman and Richard...
and Rondell Sorrillo
Rondell Sorrillo
Rondell Sorrillo is a Trinidad and Tobago sprinter, who specializes in the 200 meters.Sorrillo competed in the 200 meters event at the 2008 Olympic Games, but without reaching the final round....
(who won gold and silver).
Armstrong represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Trinidad and Tobago sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.- Medalists :- Men :- Women :- 30px Shooting :Men- 30px Swimming :- 30px Table Tennis :Men- See also :...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. He competed at the 4x100 metres relay together with Marc Burns
Marc Burns
Marc Burns is an athlete from Trinidad and Tobago specializing in the 100 metres and the 4x100 metres.Participating in the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was disqualified from his 100 metres heat, thus failing to make it through to the second round.Marc Burns placed second in the men's 100 metres dash...
, Keston Bledman
Keston Bledman
Keston Bledman is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.On July 7, 2007, at the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in São Paulo, Brazil, he upset the Jamaican Yohan Blake in the 100 meters, finishing in 10.32 seconds .Bledman...
and Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson (athlete)
Richard "Torpedo" Thompson is a sprinter from Cascade, Trinidad and Tobago who specializes in the 100 metres. He was the silver medalist in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, running a personal best of 9.89 seconds....
. In their qualification heat they placed first in front of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Their time of 38.26 was the fastest of all sixteen teams participating in the first round and they qualified for the final. Armstrong was replaced by Emmanuel Callender
Emmanuel Callender
Emmanuel Callender is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.Callender represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He competed at the 4 x 100 m relay, together with Marc Burns, Aaron Armstrong, Keston Bledman and Richard...
for the final race and they sprinted to a time of 38.06 seconds, the second time after the Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n team, winning the silver medal. He also took part in the 200 m individual, finishing first in his first round heat, with a time of 20.57 seconds. With 20.58 seconds in the second round he only placed fifth in his heat, which was not enough to qualify for the semi finals.
He ran in the 200 m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, but he was eliminated in the first heats stage (although his time of 21.38 was a season's best). He took the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
The athletics competition at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held in New Delhi, India between 6 and 14 October. The track and field events took place between 6–12 October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while the marathon contests were held on a street course running through the city on 14...
, finishing behind Lerone Clarke
Lerone Clarke
Lerone Ephraime Clarke is a Jamaican sprinter who is the 2010 Commonwealth Games champion in the 100 metres.Like current Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt and former Jamaican Sprinter Michael Green , Clarke is a former student of William Knibb Memorial High School.He finished fourth in 4 x 100 m...
and Mark Lewis-Francis
Mark Lewis-Francis
Mark Anthony Lewis-Francis is a British track and field athlete, specifically a sprinter, who specialises in the 100 metres. A renowned junior, his greatest sporting achievement at senior level has been to anchor the Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4 x 100 metres relay team to a shock gold...
.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida Olympians