Ryan Brathwaite
Encyclopedia
Ryan Brathwaite is a track and field
athlete from Barbados
who won the gold medal
in the 110 metres hurdles
at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
in Berlin
. In recognition of his achievements, on September 17, 2009 Brathwaite was given the honour of being an ambassador while formally receiving the title Ambassador His Excellency Ryan Brathwaite.
He is from the Hillaby district in the parish of St. Andrew.
, taking the silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles. More success came in regional competition when he won the 2006 CAC Junior Championships. He competed as a senior athlete at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
and he reached the sprint hurdles semi-finals. He also represented Barbados at the 2007 Pan American Games
where he finished in fourth place.
Brathwaite set a national record at the 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics, winning his heat in a time of 13.49 seconds and finishing fourth in the final. He improved this further at the 2008 Summer Olympics
, running 13.38 seconds in the heats. He made it through to the Olympic semi-finals before being knocked out.
He broke a championship record the following year at the 2009 CAC Championships
, which he achieved in the semi-finals. However, he was beaten in the final by the reigning Olympic champion Dayron Robles
. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
, neither Robles nor the defending world champion Liu Xiang
were present for the final
as they withdrew due to injury. Brathwaite took advantage of this, setting a new best of 13.18 in the semi-finals, and he improved to 13.14 to win the gold and become the 2009 world champion. At 21 years old, he was the youngest ever champion for the event. After the gold medal, he won at the Memorial Van Damme
meeting and closed a successful year with another gold at the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
.
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 from Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
who won 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 110 metres hurdles
110 metres hurdles
The 110 metres hurdles is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is incuded in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metre hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres in height are evenly spaced along a straight...
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...
. In recognition of his achievements, on September 17, 2009 Brathwaite was given the honour of being an ambassador while formally receiving the title Ambassador His Excellency Ryan Brathwaite.
He is from the Hillaby district in the parish of St. Andrew.
Career
He first ran on the world stage at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics
The 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the 2005 version of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Marrakesh, Morocco.The host stadium was Stade Sidi Youssef Ben Ali.-Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:...
, taking the silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles. More success came in regional competition when he won the 2006 CAC Junior Championships. He competed as a senior athlete 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...
and he reached the sprint hurdles semi-finals. He also represented Barbados at the 2007 Pan American Games
Athletics at the 2007 Pan American Games
The athletics competition at the 2007 Pan American Games was held at the Flamengo Park and Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro between 22 July and 29 July 2007...
where he finished in fourth place.
Brathwaite set a national record at the 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics, winning his heat in a time of 13.49 seconds and finishing fourth in the final. He improved this further at the 2008 Summer 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...
, running 13.38 seconds in the heats. He made it through to the Olympic semi-finals before being knocked out.
He broke a championship record the following year at the 2009 CAC Championships
2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
The 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships was the twenty second edition of the tournament and was held between 3 and 7 July in Havana, Cuba.-Event summary:...
, which he achieved in the semi-finals. However, he was beaten in the final by the reigning Olympic champion Dayron Robles
Dayron Robles
Dayron Robles is a track and field athlete who specialises in the 110 metre hurdles.He won his first major medal in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He finished the 2006 season having improved his outdoor best to 13 seconds and become the Central American and...
. 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....
, neither Robles nor the defending world champion Liu Xiang
Liu Xiang
Liu Xiang is a Chinese 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China....
were present for the final
2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles
The men's 110 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium 19 and 20 August.Just as he had done at the 2008 Olympic final, former world record holder Liu Xiang missed the competition through injury, leaving the reigning Olympic champion and world...
as they withdrew due to injury. Brathwaite took advantage of this, setting a new best of 13.18 in the semi-finals, and he improved to 13.14 to win the gold and become the 2009 world champion. At 21 years old, he was the youngest ever champion for the event. After the gold medal, he won at the Memorial Van Damme
Memorial Van Damme
Memorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
meeting and closed a successful year with another gold 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...
.
Achievements
| 2009 | Central American and Caribbean Championships 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics The 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships was the twenty second edition of the tournament and was held between 3 and 7 July in Havana, Cuba.-Event summary:... |
Havana, Cuba | 2nd | 13.31w 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics – Results These are the official results of the 2009 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics which took place on July 3–7, 2009 in Havana, Cuba.... |
| 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, Germany | 1st | 13.14 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles The men's 110 metres hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium 19 and 20 August.Just as he had done at the 2008 Olympic final, former world record holder Liu Xiang missed the competition through injury, leaving the reigning Olympic champion and world... |
|
| 2010 | Central American and Caribbean Games Athletics at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games The athletics competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games was held at the Mayagüez Athletics Stadium in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico from July 24–30. A total of 47 events were contested, 24 by men and 23 by women, and 12 Games records were set... |
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"... |
1st | 13.39 Athletics at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games – Results These are the official results of the athletics competition at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games which took place on July 24–30, 2010 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.-100 meters:... |