Trinidad’s Keshorn Walcott Strikes Gold in Javelin

Nineteen-year-old Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago shocked the track and field world by capturing gold in the men's javelin yesterday. Walcott winning throw of 84.58m in the second round, established a new national record for Trinidad and Tobago and capped a sensational season for the teenager. Walcott finished ahead of Ukraine’s Oleksandr Pyatnytsya (84.51m) and Finland’s Antti Ruuskanen (84.12m). Norway’s Thorkildsen Andreas, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion in the event finished in 6^th place with a throw of 82.63m. With this victory, Walcott becomes the second man outside of Europe to win the event, joining American Cyrus Young who accomplished that feat in 1952. Walcott was the only Trinidad and Tobago athlete to strike gold in London, and was able to add his gold medal to the three bronze medals earned by his country. The Toco native now sits atop the javelin world, having captured javelin gold at the IAAF World Junior Championship in Barcelona last month (July 13). This season, Walcott has improved on his personal best from 75.77m to 84.58m. The Caribbean track and field community has known of Walcott exploits as over the past four years he has simply dominated the javelin event at the regional Carifta Games Trinidad and Tobago medals: