Nesta Carter
Encyclopedia
Nesta Carter O.D
(born October 11, 1985) is a Jamaica
n sprinter
, who specialises in the 100 metres
event. In August 2010 he became only the fifth sprinter to ever run the 100 metres in less than 9.8 seconds.
Carter has also been successful as part of the Jamaican 4 x 100 metres relay
team, setting the world record and Olympic record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and a member of the 2007 World Championship
silver medal 4 x 100 metres relay
team.
, and is coached by Stephen Francis.
in 22.54 (wind −2.0 m/s). The 4 x 100 m relay team did not finish their heat.
Under 20 200 m, in 21.10 (wind −1.4 m/s) and won gold with the Jamaican 4 x 100 m relay team in 39.48 s. Carter finished fourth in the 200 m at the June CAC Junior Championships
, his time 21.35 s, and ran the third leg of the 4 x 100 m relay team which finished first in 40.63 s. He finished fourth in the 200 m semi-final at the July World Junior Championships
in 21.24 s. In the semi-final of the 4 x 100 m relay Carter ran the third leg and the team qualified for the final in 39.90 s. The Jamaica team finished second in the final without Carter.
in 10.20 s, his first win of an IAAF Grand Prix event.
At the Osaka World Championships Carter won his heat in 10.17 s, finished fourth in the quarter-final in 10.23 and finished seventh in the semi-final of the 100 m, his time 10.28 s. Carter ran the third leg of the 4 x 100 m relay team which finished second in a new national record of 37.89 s.
Carter was named UTech Sportsman of the Year 2007/2008 on April 10.
Carter ran the third leg of the 4 x 100 m relay at the Penn Relays
, the team winning the USA vs The World event in 39.14 s.
On May 25 Carter successfully defended his title at the Grande Premio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo, winning in 10.19 s. One week later he won the 100 m at DKB-ISTAF in a personal best 10.08, his first win at a Golden League event.
Carter did not report for the start of the 100 m final at the National Trials, due to a leg cramp. He made the Jamaican team for the Olympics after running a personal best 20.31 in the final of the 200 m.
At the July DN Galan in Stockholm Carter won race two in 9.98 s, a new personal best that made him just the fifth Jamaican under the 10 second barrier.
At the 2008 Olympics
in Beijing
he ran the third leg of the 4 x 100 metres relay
semi-final with Michael Frater
, Dwight Thomas
and Asafa Powell
. Their time of 38.31 s ranked second of sixteen nations in the first round. Thomas was replaced by Usain Bolt
for the final, Carter ran the first leg and the team set a new World Record of 37.10 s, claiming the gold medal. The split time for Carter's lead-off leg of the relay was 10.34 (USATF High Performance registered split analysis).
Carter equaled his personal best of 9.98 when he finished third at Athletissima
2008 in Lausanne
. The race was won by Asafa Powell in a new personal best of 9.72 s.
At the Zagreb 2008 event Carter won in 10.23 s. Four days later Carter finished second in the 100 m at the World Athletics Final in 10.07 s.
Carter was honoured in a homecoming celebration and received an Order of Distinction
(Officer Rank) in recognition
of his achievements at the Olympics.
Carter was nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year award on April 16, as a member of the 2008 Jamaica Olympic Sprint Team. Two days later Carter ran a leg of the 4 x 100 m at the UTech Track and Field Classic at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. The winning 38.46 time was a new meet record. Carter also finished third in the 200 m at the event in 20.69
Carter next competed at the Penn Relays
on April 25, in the 4 x 100 m relay. Asafa Powell on the fourth leg pulled up and finished ninth in 41.24 A report in the Jamaica Observer on the morning of the event indicated that Powell had injured his ankle in training and was not expected to run. On May 8 he finished seventh in 10.34 with a reported calf cramp at the Qatar
Athletic Super Grand Prix.
At the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, Carter finished a disappointing ninth in 10.16 s. His entry was withdrawn from the Prefontaine Classic on the day of the event. A week before the National Championships on June 26 the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association confirmed that no entry had been received for Carter. The president of MVP track club cited an injury.
He also won the scholarship for the prestigious Harvard Law School along with his first cousin Kevoy O. K. Carter, a student of the University of the West Indies.
, Italy
on August 29—which equalled the fastest time of 2010 over 100 m set by Tyson Gay
a few weeks earlier in the year. The time also ranks Carter as the 4th fastest of all time, while still being the third fastest in Jamaica.
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
(born October 11, 1985) is a 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 sprinter
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 specialises 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...
event. In August 2010 he became only the fifth sprinter to ever run the 100 metres in less than 9.8 seconds.
Carter has also been successful as part of the Jamaican 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...
team, setting the world record and Olympic record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and a member of the 2007 World Championship
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...
silver medal 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...
team.
Career
Carter attended Manchester High School in central Jamaica. He is a member of the MVP (Maximising Velocity and Power) Track & Field Club based at the University of Technology (U-Tech), KingstonKingston, 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...
, and is coached by Stephen Francis.
2002
Representing his high school at the ISSA Championships Carter finished second in the Class 2 100 m in 11.58 s (wind −1.3 m/s), and fourth in the 200 m200 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...
in 22.54 (wind −2.0 m/s). The 4 x 100 m relay team did not finish their heat.
2003
Carter's 11.01 was thirteenth fastest in the semi-finals of the Class 1 100 m at the ISSA Championships and did he not advance to the final. He finished seventh in the 200 m final, in 22.01 s. His school did not field a team for the 4 x 100 m relay.2004
In April he finished third in the CARIFTA Games2004 CARIFTA Games
The 33rd CARIFTA Games was held in the National Stadium in Hamilton, Bermuda on April 9–11, 2004.-Participation :Detailed result lists can be found on the CACAC, the CFPI and the "World Junior Athletics History"website...
Under 20 200 m, in 21.10 (wind −1.4 m/s) and won gold with the Jamaican 4 x 100 m relay team in 39.48 s. Carter finished fourth in the 200 m at the June CAC Junior Championships
2004 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics
The 16th Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships was held in the Estadio Lic. Rafael Hernández Ochoa in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, on 25-27 June, 2004. The games were originally planned to be held in San Salvador, El Salvador. However, they were relocated to the state of Veracruz...
, his time 21.35 s, and ran the third leg of the 4 x 100 m relay team which finished first in 40.63 s. He finished fourth in the 200 m semi-final at the July World Junior Championships
2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics was the 2004 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Grosseto in Italy.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:-References:*. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-06-06....
in 21.24 s. In the semi-final of the 4 x 100 m relay Carter ran the third leg and the team qualified for the final in 39.90 s. The Jamaica team finished second in the final without Carter.
2005
At the ISSA Championships Carter finished second in the Class 1 100 m in 10.59 s, and second in the 200 m in 21.00 s. No relay team was fielded by his school.2007
In May Carter finished joint-third at the Jamaica International Invitational meet and won the Grande Premio Brasil Caixa de AtletismoGrande Premio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo
The Grande Premio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo is an annual athletics event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as part of the IAAF World Challenge. It was first organized in 1985 , held at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange.-History:...
in 10.20 s, his first win of an IAAF Grand Prix event.
At the Osaka World Championships Carter won his heat in 10.17 s, finished fourth in the quarter-final in 10.23 and finished seventh in the semi-final of the 100 m, his time 10.28 s. Carter ran the third leg of the 4 x 100 m relay team which finished second in a new national record of 37.89 s.
2008
At the inaugural UTech Track and Field Classic Carter ran a personal best 20.38 in the 200 m, bettering his previous best by 0.40 s.Carter was named UTech Sportsman of the Year 2007/2008 on April 10.
Carter ran the third leg of the 4 x 100 m relay at the Penn Relays
Penn Relays
The Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, the team winning the USA vs The World event in 39.14 s.
On May 25 Carter successfully defended his title at the Grande Premio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo, winning in 10.19 s. One week later he won the 100 m at DKB-ISTAF in a personal best 10.08, his first win at a Golden League event.
Carter did not report for the start of the 100 m final at the National Trials, due to a leg cramp. He made the Jamaican team for the Olympics after running a personal best 20.31 in the final of the 200 m.
At the July DN Galan in Stockholm Carter won race two in 9.98 s, a new personal best that made him just the fifth Jamaican under the 10 second barrier.
At the 2008 Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
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 ran the third leg of 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...
semi-final with 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....
, 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....
and 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...
. Their time of 38.31 s ranked second of sixteen nations in the first round. Thomas was replaced by 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...
for the final, Carter ran the first leg and the team set a new World Record of 37.10 s, claiming the gold medal. The split time for Carter's lead-off leg of the relay was 10.34 (USATF High Performance registered split analysis).
Carter equaled his personal best of 9.98 when he finished third at Athletissima
Athletissima
Athletissima is an annual athletics meeting at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.The first edition was held on 8 July 1977....
2008 in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. The race was won by Asafa Powell in a new personal best of 9.72 s.
At the Zagreb 2008 event Carter won in 10.23 s. Four days later Carter finished second in the 100 m at the World Athletics Final in 10.07 s.
Carter was honoured in a homecoming celebration and received an Order of Distinction
Order of distinction
The Order of Distinction in Jamaica is the fifth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament – The National Honours and Awards Act.The Motto of the Order is "Distinction Through Service"....
(Officer Rank) in recognition
of his achievements at the Olympics.
2009
Carter ran on the MVP 4 x 100 m relay team at the Milo Western Relays held at the GC Foster College on February 14. The team recorded a new meet record and world leading time of 38.72 s.Carter was nominated for the Laureus World Team of the Year award on April 16, as a member of the 2008 Jamaica Olympic Sprint Team. Two days later Carter ran a leg of the 4 x 100 m at the UTech Track and Field Classic at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. The winning 38.46 time was a new meet record. Carter also finished third in the 200 m at the event in 20.69
Carter next competed at the Penn Relays
Penn Relays
The Penn Relays is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
on April 25, in the 4 x 100 m relay. Asafa Powell on the fourth leg pulled up and finished ninth in 41.24 A report in the Jamaica Observer on the morning of the event indicated that Powell had injured his ankle in training and was not expected to run. On May 8 he finished seventh in 10.34 with a reported calf cramp at the Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
Athletic Super Grand Prix.
At the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, Carter finished a disappointing ninth in 10.16 s. His entry was withdrawn from the Prefontaine Classic on the day of the event. A week before the National Championships on June 26 the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association confirmed that no entry had been received for Carter. The president of MVP track club cited an injury.
He also won the scholarship for the prestigious Harvard Law School along with his first cousin Kevoy O. K. Carter, a student of the University of the West Indies.
2010
In 2010 Carter made some huge improvements in the 100 m races that he had run in the year, by lowering his PB in the 100 m from 9.91 to 9.78—ran in RietiRieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
, 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...
on August 29—which equalled the fastest time of 2010 over 100 m set by Tyson Gay
Tyson Gay
Tyson Gay is an American track and field sprinter. His primary events are the 100 meters and 200 meters. His personal bests establish him as the second fastest athlete in the 100 meters and the fifth fastest athlete in the history of the 200 meters, with times of 9.69 and...
a few weeks earlier in the year. The time also ranks Carter as the 4th fastest of all time, while still being the third fastest in Jamaica.
Personal bests
| Event | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 100 m | Rieti Rieti Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River... , 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... |
9.78 s |
| 200 m | 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... |
20.25 s |
Time progression in the 100 m
| Year | Time | Windspeed | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 10.56 | 2.00 | Spanish Town Spanish Town Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica from the 16th to the 19th century... |
June 12 |
| 2005 | 10.69 | 0.50 | Kingston | June 24 |
| 2006 | 10.20 | −1.60 | Spanish Town | June 4 |
| 2007 | 10.11 | 1.00 | Kingston | June 23 |
| 2008 | 9.98 | 0.20 | Lausanne | September 2 |
| 2009 | 9.91 | 2.00 | Shanghai | September 20 |
| 2010 | 9.78 | 0.90 | Rieti | August 29 |
Time progression in the 200 m
| Year | Time | Windspeed | City | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 21.10 | 1.40 | Hamilton | April 11 |
| 2006 | 20.78 | −0.50 | Zurich | August 18 |
| 2008 | 20.31 | 1.10 | Kingston | June 29 |