Aaron Nigel Armstrong (born 14 October 1977) is a
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 ...
sprint athlete who competes internationally for
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...
.
He is the 2008 Olympic champion in 4 × 100 metres relay.
Armstrong attended the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in Gainesville, Florida, where he ran for the
Florida Gators track and field
The Florida Gators track and field program represents the University of Florida in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Ass ...
team in NCAA competition. One of his first international medalling performances came at the
2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships
The 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in athletics were held at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas, between 8–11 July 2005.Finisterre, Terry (2005-07-12)Mothersill and Bolt steal the day – CAC Championships, Final ...
: he won 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 ...
silver medal behind
Usain Bolt
Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay.
An eight-ti ...
and helped the Trinidad and Tobago team to the gold medal in the
4 x 100 metres relay
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest co ...
. He reached the quarter-finals of the 200 metres at the
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland (6 August 2005 – 14 August 2005), the site of the first IAAF ...
and was sixth in the
2005 IAAF World Athletics Final The 3rd IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Stade Louis II, in Monte Carlo, Monaco on September 9, and September 10, 2005.
The hammer throw event for men and women had to take place in Szombathely, Hungary on September 3 as the Monaco stad ...
.
[Armstrong Aaron]
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...
. Retrieved on 2010-10-07.
He was selected to represent his country at the
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 ( Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...
and finished in fifth place in the 200 metres final. He helped his country retain the relay title at the
2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships
The 2008 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Pedro Grajales in Cali, Colombia between 4–6 July 2008. A total of 44 events were contested, of which 22 by male and 22 by female athletes. During the t ...
, but he lost his place in the individual events to his national rivals
Emmanuel Callender
Emmanuel Earl Callender (sometimes Callander; born 10 May 1984 in Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago) is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.
Callender represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 S ...
and
Rondel Sorrillo
Rondel Kelvin Sorrillo (born 24 January 1986) is a Trinidad and Tobago sprinter, who specializes in the 200 meters. He was the first University of Kentucky athlete to win the men's 200 m title at the NCAA championships, winning it in 2010.
Sorr ...
(who won gold and silver).
Armstrong represented
Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Trinidad and Tobago sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Its participation in the Beijing games marked its eighteenth Olympic appearance and fifteenth Summer Olympic appearance since its debut at the 1948 ...
in Beijing. He competed at the 4x100 metres relay together with
Marc Burns
__NOTOC__
Marc Burns (born 7 January 1983) is an athlete from Trinidad and Tobago specializing in the 100 metres and the 4 x 100 metres relay.
Participating in the 2004 Summer Olympics, he was disqualified from his 100 metres heat due to a fals ...
,
Keston Bledman
Keston Bledman, HBM (born 8 March 1988) is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.
On 7 July 2007, at the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in São Paulo, Brazil, he upset the Ja ...
and
Richard Thompson. In their qualification heat they placed first in front of teams from Japan, the Netherlands and Brazil. Their time of 38.26 was the fastest of all sixteen teams participating in the first round and they qualified for the final. Armstrong was replaced by
Emmanuel Callender
Emmanuel Earl Callender (sometimes Callander; born 10 May 1984 in Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago) is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for Trinidad and Tobago.
Callender represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2008 S ...
for the final race and they sprinted to a time of 38.06 seconds, the second time after the Jamaican team, winning the silver medal.
However, later on Jamaica were disqualified, and Trinidad and Tobago promoted to the gold medal. He also took part in the 200 metres individual, finishing first in his first round heat, with a time of 20.57 seconds. With 20.58 seconds in the second round he only placed fifth in his heat, which was not enough to qualify for the semi finals.
He ran in the 200 metres at the
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 Brandenbur ...
in Berlin, but he was eliminated in the first heats stage (although his time of 21.38 was a season's best).
[ He took the bronze medal 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, f ...
, finishing behind Lerone Clarke
Lerone Ephraime Clarke (born 7 July 1981) is a Jamaican track and field sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and the 60 metres. He is the former Commonwealth Games champion in the 100 m. His personal best for that distance is 9.99&nb ...
and Mark Lewis-Francis
Mark Anthony Lewis-Francis, MBE (born 4 September 1982) is a retired British track and field athlete, specifically a sprinter, who specialised in the 100 metres and was an accomplished regular of GB 4 x 100m relay. A renowned junior, his great ...
.Games-Clarke keeps Jamaican flag flying in absence of Bolt
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was est ...
(2010-10-07). Retrieved on 2010-10-07.
Personal bests
*100 m – 10.03 (2009)
*200 m – 20.08 (1999)
*400 m hurdles – 51.68 (2002)
See also
*
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as th ...
*
List of University of Florida Olympians
This List of University of Florida Olympians includes over 150 students and alumni of the University of Florida who have competed or coached in the Olympic Games, as well as current or former Florida Gators coaches who have coached in the Olympi ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Aaron
1977 births
Living people
Track and field athletes from Houston
Trinidad and Tobago male sprinters
Olympic athletes of Trinidad and Tobago
Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Junior college men's track and field athletes in the United States
Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
World Athletics Championships athletes for Trinidad and Tobago
Florida Gators men's track and field athletes
Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Trinidad and Tobago
Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)
Barton Cougars men's track and field athletes
Olympic gold medalists for Trinidad and Tobago