Lalonde Keida Gordon, HBM (born 25 November 1988) is a Tobagonian male

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. He won the bronze medal at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

with a personal best of 44.52 seconds. He is the third fastest 400 m runner from his country after

Machel Cedenio Machel Cedenio (born 6 September 1995) is a Trinidadian sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. He represented his country at two outdoor and one indoor World Championships winning a silver medal in the relay at the 2015 outdoor edition. He comp ...

and Ian Morris. He took a second Olympic bronze with the

4 × 400 metres relay The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, th ...

team in London, setting a national record in the process. He was also part of the Trinidad and Tobago relay teams that won gold at the

2017 IAAF World Championships Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japane ...

, bronze at the

2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the 14th edition of the global-level indoor track and field competition and was held between March 9–11, 2012 at the Ataköy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. It was the first of fou ...

, silver at the 2011 CAC Championships, and bronze at the 2010 CAC Games.

Career

Born in

Lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

on the island of

Tobago Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...

,Lalonde Gordon
London2012. Retrieved on 2012-08-25. he competed in

from an early age. He was named after former WBC light heavyweight champion,

Donny Lalonde Donny Lalonde (born March 12, 1960) is a retired professional boxer. His nickname is "Golden Boy," after the Golden Boy statue atop the Manitoba Legislative Building in his boxing home town of Winnipeg. Lalonde held the WBC Light Heavyweight C ...

, who defeated Trinidadian fighter,

Leslie Stewart Leslie Matthew Stewart (born 21 March 1961) is a retired Trinidadian boxer. A former world champion and two-time world title challenger, Stewart held the WBA light heavyweight title in 1987. Professional career Known as "Laventille Tiger", ...

, in a fight held in Port of Spain, Trinidad on 29 May 1988, a few months before he was born

He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in the United States at the age of seven, but gave up

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

as a teenager around 2003. While studying at

Mohawk Valley Community College Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) is a public community college in Oneida County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system. MVCC was founded in 1946 as the first community college established in New York State and ...

he returned to training in 2009 with the hope of representing the school. He competed in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

and 400 metres, later choosing to focus on the longer event, despite the fact that he took an initial dislike to it. After leaving Mohawk Valley, Gordon ran for and graduated from

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

.Clarke, Clayton (2012-08-19)
Gordon: This is what I wanted all my life
''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian''. Retrieved on 2012-08-25.De Freitas, Kern (2012-08-18)

. ''Trinidad Express''. Retrieved on 2012-08-25. Gordon ran at the 2010 national championships and broke 21 seconds for the 200 m (running 20.96 seconds) and went under 47 seconds in the 400 m, taking second place behind Zwede Hewitt. He teamed up with Hewitt for the

4×400 metres relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

at the

Central American and Caribbean Games The Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC or CACGs) are a multi-sport regional championship event, held quadrennial (once every four years), typically in the middle (even) year between Summer Olympics. The games are for countries in Cent ...

a month later and won a bronze medal. Gordon was chosen to run individually at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...

and he was a semifinalist with a personal best run of 46.33 seconds. The next season, he had his first win abroad at the

Rabat Meeting Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...

where he edged William Collazo in a new best of 45.51 seconds. At 2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships , he reached the 400 m final and was a silver medallist in the relay. He focused on the shorter sprints at the 2011 Trinidad and Tobago Championships and finished the contest with third place in the 200 m and a win in the 4×100 metres relay. He started the 2012 season indoors and ran a world-leading time of 46.43 to win the 400 m at the New Balance Games in New York. He was second in his heat at the

, but was disqualified for a lane infraction. He led off a relay team of

Renny Quow Renny Quow (born 25 August 1987) is a Trinidadian male track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres and has made it to both the Olympic and World Finals in the event, a rare feat for athletes from the Caribbean in the 400m. He comp ...

, Jereem Richards and

Jarrin Solomon Jarrin Solomon (born 11 January 1986) is a Trinidadian track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. He was part of the Trinidad and Tobago team that won the bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2012 IAAF World ...

which went on to break the national indoor record for the event and take the bronze medal behind the United States and Great Britain. Outdoors, he set three personal bests on New York's ''Road to London'' meet series, setting times of 10.45 for the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

and 20.62 for the 200 m in May, before winning the 400 m event in 45.33 seconds in June.Lalonde Gordon
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2012-08-25. At that year's national championships he beat defending champion Quow in the 400 m and helped set a new national record (3:00.45 minutes) in the 4 × 400 m relay. He was chosen for the relay for the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic team, but did not have an individual place because he had not achieved the Olympic "A" qualifying standard. His mother paid for a flight to the US National Club Championship in Omaha in July and he improved his best with a winning run of 45.02 seconds. Having achieved the "A" standard, he headed to England in preparation for the

. He marked himself out as a medal contender by winning his semi-final with the fastest qualifying time – an unexpectedly quick best of 44.58 seconds. He bettered that time again to take the bronze medal in 44.52 seconds in the 400 m Olympic final, becoming only the second man from his nation to take an Olympic medal in the event (after

Wendell Mottley Wendell Adrian Mottley ORTT (born 2 July 1941) is a Trinidad and Tobago economist, politician and athlete. Mottley served as Senator and member of the House of Representatives with the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament and was Minister of Finance fr ...

's silver in 1964). Boosted by his performance, he encouraged the relay team to perform just as well and a team of Gordon, Jarrin Solomon, Ade Alleyne-Forte and

Deon Lendore Deon Kristofer Lendore (28 October 1992 – 10 January 2022) was a Trinidad and Tobago sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. He won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and won medals at the Pa ...

ran a national record of 3:00.38 minutes to win their qualifier. The quartet went even faster in the final and pipped Britain to the bronze medal position with a time of 2:59.40 minutes, becoming the country's second medalling team in the event (again achieved by Mottley at the 1964 Olympics). He was also part of the Trinidad and Tobago teams that won gold at the 2017 World Championships, silver at the 2015 World Championships , and bronze at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he won two bronzes, in the 400 m and the 4 x 400 m. He ran a personal best in the individual 400 m.

Personal bests

: 10.45 sec (2012) *

: 20.16 sec (2013) *200 metres (indoor): 20.49 sec (2017) * 400 metres: 44.52 (2012) *400 metres (indoor): 45.17 sec (2014) *500 metres (indoor): 1:02.83 min (2012)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Lalonde 1988 births Living people People from Tobago Trinidad and Tobago male sprinters Olympic athletes of Trinidad and Tobago Olympic bronze medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Trinidad and Tobago World Athletics Championships medalists Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Trinidad and Tobago Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists World Athletics Championships winners Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games