Lerone Clarke
Encyclopedia
Lerone Ephraime Clarke is a Jamaica
n sprint
er who is the 2010 Commonwealth Games
champion in the 100 metres
.
Like current Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt
and former Jamaican Sprinter Michael Green (sprinter), Clarke is a former student of William Knibb Memorial High School.
He finished fourth in 4 x 100 m relay
at the 2005 World Championships
, together with teammates Dwight Thomas
, Ainsley Waugh
and Michael Frater
.
He set a personal best time of 9.99 seconds on 28 August 2009 in Zürich
, Switzerland
, becoming the 70th man to have broken the 10-second barrier
with an official, legal time. Following this he set a meeting record at Rovereto
, Italy
, recording 10.11 seconds into a headwind to beat Asafa Powell
's previous meet best. With the top Jamaican sprinters opting out of the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, Clarke was selected to represent his country in the 100 m. He had a fast start in the final and held his lead to win the gold medal
, succeeding Asafa Powell
as the Commonwealth champion for the event. However, the lack of top athletes was evident from his 10.12-second winning time – the slowest to win the title since Don Quarrie
in 1974.
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 sprint
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...
er who is the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
champion in the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
.
Like current Olympic 100m champion 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 former Jamaican Sprinter Michael Green (sprinter), Clarke is a former student of William Knibb Memorial High School.
He finished fourth in 4 x 100 m relay
2005 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 4 x 100 metres relay
The Men's 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on August 12 and August 13. The United Kingdom just beat Jamaica and Australia to bronze medal position...
at the 2005 World Championships
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...
, together with teammates Dwight Thomas
Dwight Thomas
Dwight Thomas O.D is a Jamaican sprinter mainly competing in the 100 metres event and more recently the 110m hurdles....
, Ainsley Waugh
Ainsley Waugh
Ainsley Waugh is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres.He made his major tournament debut at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics, reaching the quarter-finals in the 100 metres event...
and Michael Frater
Michael Frater
Michael Frater O.D is a sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres event. He won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games for the event....
.
He set a personal best time of 9.99 seconds on 28 August 2009 in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, becoming the 70th man to have broken the 10-second barrier
10-second barrier
The 10-second barrier is a term used in track and field athletics which refers to the physical and psychological barrier of completing the men's 100 metres sprint in under ten seconds...
with an official, legal time. Following this he set a meeting record at Rovereto
Rovereto
Rovereto is a city and comune in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River.-History:Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento - an independent state until 1797 - and the republic of Venice, and later...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, recording 10.11 seconds into a headwind to beat Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell C.D is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of...
's previous meet best. With the top Jamaican sprinters opting out of 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...
, Clarke was selected to represent his country in the 100 m. He had a fast start in the final and held his lead to win 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...
, succeeding Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell
Asafa Powell C.D is a Jamaican sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He held the 100 m world record between June 2005 and May 2008, with times of 9.77 and 9.74 seconds respectively. Powell has consistently broken the 10-second barrier in competition, with his personal best of...
as the Commonwealth champion for the event. However, the lack of top athletes was evident from his 10.12-second winning time – the slowest to win the title since Don Quarrie
Don Quarrie
Donald O'Riley Quarrie C.D is a former Jamaican athlete, one of the world's top sprinters during the 1970s....
in 1974.