Keshorn Walcott is a track and field athlete who has competed for Trinidad and Tobago. He competed at the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Walcott entered the javelin throw final at his first Olympics in 2012 with the tenth-farthest throw from the field, but he succumbed to the pressure of the top-twelve finals by tossing a javelin with a personal best distance and a Trinidad and Tobago record of 83.51 on his initial attempt. He exceeded the distance to 84.58 metres on his next throw, handing him an insurmountable lead from a vastly experienced field of javelin throwers that included two-time defending champion Andreas Thorkildsen, Finnish duo of Tero Pitkamaki and Antti Ruuskanen, and Czech favorite Vitězslav Veselý. As no other thrower managed to overhaul Walcott's mark after the fourth round, he surprised the top-twelve field to capture the Olympic title with a shortest winning throw since Seoul 1988. The historic feat made Walcott the youngest-ever javelin throw champion, aged 19, and the second non-European in the event's history, following Cyrus Young in Helsinki 1952. He also joined the sprinter Hasely Crawford as the only athletes from Trinidad and Tobago to have received an Olympic gold medal.
Four years later in Rio de Janeiro, Walcott returned to his second Olympics as the defending javelin throw champion and was officially honored to carry the flag for Trinidad and Tobago at the opening ceremony. He started the final with a respectable 83.45 metres before he quickly moved to the third spot by six centimetres after the second attempt. As no other thrower managed to improve their position further in the last of six rounds and the medals were officially decided, Walcott maintained his spot throughout the final session to keep the third place intact with a best throw of 85.38. Walcott's bronze was the sole medal for Trinidad and Tobago at the Games, almost sparing from an out-of-medal feat for the first time since Barcelona 1992.
Walcott arrived at Tokyo 2020 as the only returning medalists with Julius Yego in the javelin throw, but he failed to enter the final after recording a sixteenth-farthest throw from the initial stage.
Olympic Results[]
Year | Event | Result |
---|---|---|
2012 | Men's javelin throw | |
2016 | Men's javelin throw | |
2020 | Men's javelin throw | 16th |
2012[]
Discipline | Round | Stage | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Javelin throw | Qualification | Throw 1 | 78.91 | |
Throw 2 | 76.44 | |||
Throw 3 | 81.75 | |||
Final | Throw 1 | 83.51 | ||
Throw 2 | 84.58 | NR | ||
Throw 3 | X | |||
Throw 4 | 80.64 | |||
Throw 5 | X | |||
Throw 6 | Bye |
2016[]
Discipline | Round | Stage | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Javelin throw | Qualification | Throw 1 | 88.68 |
Throw 2 | Bye | ||
Throw 3 | |||
Final | Throw 1 | 83.45 | |
Throw 2 | 85.38 | ||
Throw 3 | 83.38 | ||
Throw 4 | 80.33 | ||
Throw 5 | X | ||
Throw 6 | X |
2020[]
Discipline | Round | Stage | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Javelin throw | Qualification | Throw 1 | 76.13 |
Throw 2 | 79.13 | ||
Throw 3 | 79.33 | ||
Final | Throw 1 | Did not advance | |
Throw 2 | |||
Throw 3 | |||
Throw 4 | |||
Throw 5 | |||
Throw 6 |