Javier Culson Pérez (born 25 July 1984) is a Puerto Rican

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

and

Olympiad An olympiad (, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the Ancient Olympic Games, ancient and Olympic Games, modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Archaic Greece, Greece ...

bronze medalist who specialises in the 400-metre hurdles. After becoming involved with the discipline in his late teen years, he entered the podium in some regional youth events, including the

Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The Pan American U20 Athletics Championships are a biennial sports event for track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and thr ...

. Culson is a two-time silver medallist at the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, coverin ...

's (IAAF) World Championships and an elite contender in the Samsung Diamond League, where he finished second overall in 2011. He has also garnished medals in events with lower profiles, including 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 32 countries and ...

and the Ibero-American Championships. He currently holds the record as "the world's fastest man" in that category. Culson also competed at the 2012 Olympics in London winning the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

in the 400-metre hurdles race.''Culson: ante su cita con la historia.''
Richie Lugo Marrero. (Title in printed version: ''Javier Culson: Presto para cita con la historia el relámpago ponceño.'') La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1 August 2012. Year 30. Number 1496. Page 4. Retrieved 1 August 2012. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Culson made it all the way to the finals of the men's 400m hurdles only to be disqualified by a false start.

Early years and personal life

Culson Pérez was born in Barrio Playa,

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce ( , , ) is a city and a Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The most populated city outside the San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan metropolitan area, Ponce was founded on August 12, 1692Some publ ...

, on 25 July 1984, to Señor Culson and Judith Pérez.''Saluda a lo lejos una abuela orgullosa.''
Jason Rodriguez Grafal. (Title in printed version: ''Desde La Playa de Ponce: Saluda en la Distancia una Abuela Orgullosa.'') La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 1 August 2012. Year 30. Number 1496. Page 6. Retrieved 1 August 2012. One of four siblings, along Javier Ramón Antonio, Judith Marie and Mary Caridad, he was raised solely by his mother in his native Playa de Ponce.
Hermes Ayala Noticel 13 May 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012. Since his birth and throughout his childhood, Culson was a sickly child, suffering from

gastritis Gastritis is the inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Othe ...

due to a pronounced line in his abdomen, which limited the types of food that he could eat. This condition, along with an

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

diagnosis, forced him to spend a considerable amount of time in hospitals during his upbringing and extending into his teenager years. To deal with Culson's health and attend to her other children, Judith Pérez left her established job as a nurse at '' Hospital Oncológico Andrés Grillasca'' in Ponce and began taking odd jobs, such as

babysitting Babysitting is temporarily caring for a child. Babysitting can be a paid job for all ages; however, it is best known as a temporary activity for early teenagers who are not yet eligible for employment in the general economy. It provides auto ...

and ironing clothes. By the time that he was a teenager, all of his siblings were involved in sports. Culson developed an interest in basketball and extreme sports and also entered

Long-distance running Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running come two di ...

races. When he was 16 years old, he met Héctor Amill, who trained his sister and soon identified Culson's potential as a

hurdle A hurdle (UK English, limited US English) is a moveable section of light fence. In the United States, terms such as "panel", "pipe panel" or simply "fence section" are used to describe moveable sections of fencing intended for agricultural u ...

s athlete, remaining as his trainer to this day. He completed his high school education at ''Escuela Jardines de Ponce''. Culson then enrolled at American University, where he was part of their athletics team, the Piratas, performing for two years before transferring. Culson then enrolled in the

Physical Education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico,''Men's 400m Hurdles.''
Olympic Games 27 July – 12 August: Official London 2012 website. Retrieved 4 August 2012. where he was active in the '' Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria'' (LAI), the apex inter-university league in Puerto Rico. Culson's first daughter, Yarién Culson Corcino, was born on 29 May 2008, and he has been dedicating his victories to her ever since.

Athletic career

Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships. He won a bronze medal at the

2007 Summer Universiade The 2007 Summer Universiade officially known as the XXIV Summer Universiade and commonly known as Bangkok Universiade, was an international multi-sport for university athletes that took place from 8 to 18 August 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, with pr ...

with a time of 49.35 seconds. His first major senior tournament was the

2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, () under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007. 200 of the IAAF's 212 member feder ...

. He reached the 400 m hurdles semi-finals at the competition. As one of only six track athletes who made the Puerto Rican Olympic team that year, Culson Pérez competed at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

. He progressed to the semi-finals but failed to reach the final. Culson Pérez began his 2009 pre-season by entering an

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

race at Carolina's ''Clásico de Primavera'', winning with a 1:49.95 mark; four seconds over the time required to enter the World Championships in that discipline. In July, he set a personal best of 48.09 seconds in the 400 m hurdles, in the process establishing a Puerto Rican national record. On 18 August 2009, Culson Pérez won the silver medal in the finals of the 400 metres hurdles at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. This is the first Medal for Puerto Rico in Athletics at the IAAF World Championships. Guided by Víctor López, Culson Pérez signed a promotional contract with Michael Johnson's Ultimate Performance Sport Management, joining a small group of elite athletes sponsored by this agency. On 14 January 2010, Culson Pérez was named "Athlete of the Year" by the COPUR. 400 m hurdles Kerron Clement Berlin 2009

400 m hurdles Kerron Clement Berlin 2009

Second World Championships medal

After months of inactivity, he began his pre-season preparation, winning the 800 metres race at the ''Clásico de Primavera'' with a time of 1:50.13. Culson Pérez opened his 2010 season at the Drake Relays, winning the race with 48.67, one of the best marks of the year up to that point. In his second outing, he recorded 48.48 at the Guadalupe Grand Prix. On 8 May 2010, Culson Pérez established a new personal and national record at the Ponce Grand Prix, breaking the 48-second mark with a 47.72 victory (best overall in the world during the initial part of the season) over Michael Tinsley of the United States (48.46). Culson Pérez then went on to earn his second worldwide silver medal on 1 September 2011 when he clocked 48.44 seconds at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

2012 London Olympics

Culson competed in the 2012 Olympics in London on Friday, 3 August; Saturday 4 August, and Monday 6 August. In interviews from his barrio Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico, his family reported they would be "glued to their TVs" awaiting the moment Culson made entry into the Olympic stadium. He was also selected to be the flagbearer for the Puerto Rico delegation during the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics. A local reporter stated that, for the ceremony, most businesses in his barrio Playa closed down and "the streets were deserted". Culson scored the best overall time in the first day of competition, winning the highly-competitive heat 5 with a time of 48.33 seconds, and advancing to the semi-finals. This race also recorded the second best time and qualified more athletes than any other heat. Culson won his semifinal over two-time Olympic winner Angelo Taylor running 47.93 seconds. On 6 August 2012 Culson won the bronze medal in the final of the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 48.10 seconds (less than a half-second behind the gold-medal time), winning Puerto Rico's first Olympic medal in 16 years and the first Olympic athletics medal for his country (all other Puerto Rican medals had been won in boxing).

Personal bests

*All information taken from IAAF profile.Culson Javier biography

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

. Retrieved on 31 May 2009.

Progression

Honours

¹Disqualified in the final

Other recognitions

In 2010 he was voted "Puerto Rico's Athlete of the Year". In 2011, he was homaged by the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico () is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The House, together with the Senate, control the legislative branch of the go ...

upon becoming the first Puerto Rican athlete to receive a medal at the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in the ...

. After euphoric moments when Culson's final London 2012 Olympics race was being watched by Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno, Ponce Mayor Maria Melendez, Culson's family and over 3,000 people on a huge screen at Plaza Las Delicias, Culson's home town of Ponce hosted a celebration to his honor upon his return from London on 14 August 2012.''Ponce gritó y vitoreó sin contención.''
Jason Rodríguez Grafal. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 8 August 2012. (Title in the printed version "Un minuto sin respiración: Ponce se paralizó durante la histórica faena de Javier." Year 30. Issue 1497. Page 6. Jason Rodríguez Grafal. 8 August 2012.") Retrieved 8 August 2012.

References

External links

* * *
ESPN profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Culson Perez, Javier 1984 births Living people Puerto Rican male hurdlers Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for Puerto Rico Sportspeople from Ponce, Puerto Rico Olympic bronze medalists for Puerto Rico World Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Puerto Rico Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for Puerto Rico Pan American Games track and field athletes for Puerto Rico Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico alumni Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Puerto Rico Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Universiade medalists for Puerto Rico Diamond League winners Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 2007 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games 21st-century American sportsmen