Aries Merritt
 Aries Merritt, Bislet Games 2011. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | July 24, 1985 Chicago, Illinois | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Hurdles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Tennessee Volunteers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 8 August 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aries Merritt (born July 24, 1985) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 110 meter hurdles. He won the gold medal in the 110 meter hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Background
Born in Chicago, Illinois, he moved to Marietta, Georgia at a young age, attending Joseph Wheeler High School, where he was teammates with Reggie Witherspoon. Merritt subsequently had a successful college athletic career. In 2006, he won the NCCA Championships, was undefeated in all hurdles events that year, and broke Willie Gault's University of Tennessee hurdles record. His victory at the NCCA Championships in 13.21 was the second fastest ever collegiate time in the United States, behind only Renaldo Nehemiah. He took the 110 meter hurdles gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships and finished sixth at the 2006 World Athletics Final. He reached the World Athletics Final in 2008, finishing in fourth. Aries is the first hurdler to ever win 2012 US Indoor Nationals Champion , 2012 Indoor World Championship (Istanbul, Turkey) 2012 US Olympic Trials Champion and the 2012 Olympic Champion all in the same year.
Professional athletics career
2011
In the final of the 110m hurdles at the 2011 World Champions in Athletics, Merritt was initially classified 6th, with a time of 13.67 s. After Dayron Robles was disqualified, Merritt was promoted to 5th. His season's best was 13.12 s, achieved in Eugene, Oregon and Oslo.
2012
In Istanbul, Merritt became the indoor world champion in the 60 meters hurdles. He beat Liu Xiang and Pascal Martinot-Lagarde with a time of 7.44 s.
At the Olympic trials in Oregon, Merritt won the 110m hurdles final in a world leading time of 12.93 s. Merritt subsequently matched the time at two consecutive Diamond League events, at Crystal Palace and Monaco, winning both races. He entered the 2012 Olympic Games in London being considered a major threat to the established two-man dominance of Liu Xiang and Dayron Robles.[1] On August 8, 2012 Merritt won the gold medal.[2][3]
Statistics
Personal bests
| Event | Best | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 meters hurdles | 7.10 s | Gainesville, Florida, United States | January 21, 2006 |
| 60 meters hurdles | 7.43 s | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | February 26, 2012 |
| 110 meters hurdles | 12.80 s | Brussels, Belgium | September 7, 2012 |
| 200 meters | 21.46 s | Bloomington, Indiana, United States | January 7, 2006 |
| 400 meters hurdles | 51.94 s | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | April 9, 2004 |
International competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  United States
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| 2004 | World Junior Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.56 |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 27th (h) | 110 m hurdles | 13.70 |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 5th | 110 m hurdles | 13.67 |
| 2012 | World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 1st | 60 m hurdles | 7.44 |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 12.92 | |
References
- ^ Reuters | Eurosport. "Merritt shines again in Monaco". Yahoo! Sport. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Long, Mark (2012-08-08). "Aries Merritt Wins 110-Meter Hurdles Gold, Jason Richardson Takes Silver". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
- ^ "Aries Merritt claims 110m hurdles Olympic gold". Retrieved 08-08-2012.
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External links
- Aries Merritt at World Athletics
- USATF profile for Aries Merritt
- DyeStat profile for Aries Merritt
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World Indoor Champions in men's 60 metres hurdles | |
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