Kaliese Spencer
Encyclopedia
Kaliese Spencer is a Jamaica
n track and field
athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles
. She has finished fourth at both the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
and the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
. She was heavy favourite to win the Gold Medal in 2011 but performed poorly in both the semifinals and final. She was the 2006 World Junior champion
.
success at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
, where she won the junior 400 m hurdles title with a personal best run of 55.11 seconds. Her debut at the senior level came the following year and she reached the semi-finals of her event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
in Osaka
.
Spencer made a strong start to the 2008 outdoor season by running a world-leading time in the 400 metres
at the Azuza Pacific Invitational, winning in a personal best time of 50.55 seconds. However, she suffered a hip injury and only trained sporadically in the rest of the year, missing out on the Jamaican Olympic team
for the 2008 Beijing Games as a result.
She began competing in the IAAF Golden League
in 2009, performing at the Reebok Grand Prix
, Golden Gala
and Herculis
meetings, although she failed to reach the podium on those occasions. At the 2009 World Championships
, Spencer reached the final of the women's 400 m hurdles and finished fourth with a personal best run of 53.56 seconds – her club team mate Melaine Walker
won the gold in a championship record. She was also the substitute runner in the 4×400 metres relay at the championships and helped her team progress to the final where they won the silver medal
. She took a victory over Walker shortly afterwards at the IAAF Zagreb Grand Prix. Spencer ended her season by winning a silver medal at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
, running 53.99 seconds to finish behind Walker.
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League
became Spencer's principal target the following year and she was sixth at first meeting, the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix
in May. She won at the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat
, defeating Perri Shakes-Drayton
, and was third in the 400 m at the Jamaican Championships that month. She began making an impact on the Diamond League, finishing as runner-up behind Lashinda Demus
at the Prefontaine Classic
and the Golden Gala, recording a personal best 53.48 seconds. She had her first win on the major circuit at the British Grand Prix
. She won at the Herculis
meeting soon after and also set a meet record of 53.72 seconds at the Spitzenleichtathletik competition in Switzerland. She set a personal best in the 400m hurdles of 52.79 at the Aviva Grand Prix in Crystal Palace on the 5th August 2011. As a result she was heavy favourite to win the Gold medal at 2011 World Championships in Athletics
in Daegu, South Korea however after a poor semifinal she only made the final as a fastest loser and finished a disappointed fourth behind Lashinda Demus
, Melaine Walker
and Natalya Antyukh
. Spencer had said before the event she expected to win and also break the world record, she ran 54.01 in the final, while champion Demus had run 52.47.
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 track and field
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...
athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles
400 metres hurdles
The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly...
. She has finished fourth at both 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....
and the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
. She was heavy favourite to win the Gold Medal in 2011 but performed poorly in both the semifinals and final. She was the 2006 World Junior champion
2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China....
.
Career
Born in the parish of Westmoreland, her mother, Merfelin Spencer was a 400m runner in college and her father Joshua Spencer was a middle-distance runner and she followed their footsteps into the sport of athletics. She attended the University of Technology in Jamaica and began focusing on her running under the tutelage of Stephen Francis as part of his Maximising Velocity and Power Track Club. She had her first hurdlesHurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
success at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China....
, where she won the junior 400 m hurdles title with a personal best run of 55.11 seconds. Her debut at the senior level came the following year and she reached the semi-finals of her event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
.
Spencer made a strong start to the 2008 outdoor season by running a world-leading time in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
at the Azuza Pacific Invitational, winning in a personal best time of 50.55 seconds. However, she suffered a hip injury and only trained sporadically in the rest of the year, missing out on the Jamaican Olympic team
Jamaica at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Jamaica competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008. This is, by far, Jamaica's best showing at the Summer Olympics.-Medalists:-Men:-Women:* Athletes ran in heats only...
for the 2008 Beijing Games as a result.
She began competing in the IAAF Golden League
IAAF Golden League
The IAAF Golden League was an annual series of track and field meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations...
in 2009, performing at the Reebok Grand Prix
Reebok Grand Prix
The Adidas Grand Prix, formerly the Reebok Grand Prix, is an annual athletics meeting at the Icahn Stadium in New York City, United States. Previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-World records:...
, Golden Gala
Golden Gala
Golden Gala is an annual track and field event at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-History:...
and Herculis
Herculis
The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-World records:...
meetings, although she failed to reach the podium on those occasions. At the 2009 World Championships
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....
, Spencer reached the final of the women's 400 m hurdles and finished fourth with a personal best run of 53.56 seconds – her club team mate Melaine Walker
Melaine Walker
Melaine Walker O.D is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. Walker is the reigning World and Olympic 400 m hurdles champion...
won the gold in a championship record. She was also the substitute runner in the 4×400 metres relay at the championships and helped her team progress to the final where they won the 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....
. She took a victory over Walker shortly afterwards at the IAAF Zagreb Grand Prix. Spencer ended her season by winning a silver medal at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the...
, running 53.99 seconds to finish behind Walker.
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League
2010 IAAF Diamond League
The 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....
became Spencer's principal target the following year and she was sixth at first meeting, the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix
The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, PR China as part of the IAAF Diamond League. The meeting has had its inaugural edition in 2005...
in May. She won at the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat
Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat
The Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat is an annual track and field competition at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 2008. Its name honours Mohammed VI of Morocco, the present king of...
, defeating Perri Shakes-Drayton
Perri Shakes-Drayton
Perri Shakes-Drayton is a British athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. She came to prominence at the English Schools Championships where she set a UK junior record time in the 400 m hurdles...
, and was third in the 400 m at the Jamaican Championships that month. She began making an impact on the Diamond League, finishing as runner-up behind Lashinda Demus
Lashinda Demus
Lashinda Demus is an American hurdler who specialises in the 400 meter hurdles.Her personal best time over 400m hurdles is 52.47 seconds in Daegu, South Korea on September 1, 2011, which is currently the women's 3rd fastest time ever. Also she is the American Record holder in 400m Hurdles...
at the Prefontaine Classic
Prefontaine Classic
The Prefontaine Classic is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.-History:...
and the Golden Gala, recording a personal best 53.48 seconds. She had her first win on the major circuit at the British Grand Prix
British Grand Prix (athletics)
The British Grand Prix is an annual athletics meeting. It is part of the IAAF Diamond League series of track and field meets and it is sponsored by Aviva...
. She won at the Herculis
Herculis
The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.-World records:...
meeting soon after and also set a meet record of 53.72 seconds at the Spitzenleichtathletik competition in Switzerland. She set a personal best in the 400m hurdles of 52.79 at the Aviva Grand Prix in Crystal Palace on the 5th August 2011. As a result she was heavy favourite to win the Gold medal at 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
in Daegu, South Korea however after a poor semifinal she only made the final as a fastest loser and finished a disappointed fourth behind Lashinda Demus
Lashinda Demus
Lashinda Demus is an American hurdler who specialises in the 400 meter hurdles.Her personal best time over 400m hurdles is 52.47 seconds in Daegu, South Korea on September 1, 2011, which is currently the women's 3rd fastest time ever. Also she is the American Record holder in 400m Hurdles...
, Melaine Walker
Melaine Walker
Melaine Walker O.D is a Jamaican 400 metres hurdler. Walker is the reigning World and Olympic 400 m hurdles champion...
and Natalya Antyukh
Natalya Antyukh
Natalya Nikolayevna Antyukh is a Russian athlete who primarily competed in the 400 metres and 400 metre hurdles.In addition to winning medals in individual contests, she has been a very successful relay runner, winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics....
. Spencer had said before the event she expected to win and also break the world record, she ran 54.01 in the final, while champion Demus had run 52.47.
Personal bests
| Event | Time (sec Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 metres hurdles 400 metres hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is an Olympic athletics event in track and field. On a standard outdoor track 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lane the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly... |
52.79 | Crystal Palace Crystal Palace - United Kingdom :* The Crystal Palace, an 1851 building in south London destroyed by fire in 1936** The Great Exhibition, the event the building was built for, sometimes also known as Crystal Palace... , United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
5 August 2011 |
| 400 metres 400 metres The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and... |
50.55 | Azusa, California Azusa, California Azusa is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 46,361 at the 2010 census, up from 44,712 at the 2000 census. Though sometimes assumed to be a compaction of the phrase "everything from A to Z in the USA" from an old Jack Benny joke, the place name "Azusa"... , United States |
18 April 2008 |
| 800 metres 800 metres The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps... |
2:05.84 | Kingston, Jamaica Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island... |
22 March 2008 |
- All information taken from IAAF profile.
Major competition record
| 2006 | World Junior Championships 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2006 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held from 15 August to 20 August at the Chaoyang Sports Center in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China.... |
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... , China |
1st | 400 m hurdles | |
| 2007 | World Championships 2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007... |
Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... , Japan |
8th (semis) | 400 m hurdles 2007 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Nagai Stadium on 27, 28 and 30 August.-Medalists:-Schedule:-Results:-Heats:... |
|
| 2009 | World Championships 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.... |
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... , Germany |
4th | 400 m hurdles 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 400 metres hurdles The women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 17, 18 and 20 August.In the four major championships between 2004 and 2008, the twelve available medals were won by eleven different athletes... |
|
| 2nd | 4×400 m relay 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 x 400 metres relay The women's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on August 22 and August 23.-Medalists:* Runners who participated in the heats only and received medals.-Records:... |
Ran in heats | |||
| World Athletics Final 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the... |
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace... , Greece |
2nd | 400 m hurdles 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final results These are the results of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final, which took place in Thessaloniki, Greece on 12 and 13 September.The year's top seven athletes, based on their points ranking of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, qualified to compete in each event, with an extra four athletes selected... |