Kenneth Nathaniel Medwood (born December 14, 1987, in Belize City)[1] is a Belizean track and field athlete, specializing in the 400 metres hurdles.[2] He competed in the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics and was his nation's flagbearer in the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kenneth Nathaniel Medwood | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 14, 1987 Belize City, Belize | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.854 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Belize | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Men's Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Hurdling, Sprint | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Long Beach State Beach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on July 14, 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biography
Medwood grew up in Los Angeles, attending Theodore Roosevelt High School, where he was a three time Los Angeles City Section Champion in the high jump. He holds the Frosh/Soph division record.[3] In both 2005[4] and 2006,[5] he finished in a tie for 4th place at the CIF California State Meet. He also played basketball and tennis.
Next he attended East Los Angeles College where he began to excel in the long hurdles. He was the state community college champion both years,[6][7] establishing the state record in the 400 hurdles at 51.63.[8]
He moved on to compete at Long Beach State University where he was runner up in the Big West Conference in both the 400 hurdles and long jump in his first season.[9] He won the 2010 Big West title in the 400 meter hurdles in a then personal best 49.66, which also was his second time breaking the school record during his senior season.[10] He ended the year at the NCAA championships, where he finished as the 17th best collegiate hurdler in the nation.[11]
He set his personal record in the 400 hurdles at the 2012 Mt. SAC Relays, running 49.54.
Personal bests
- 200 m: 21.49 s (wind: +1.0 m/s) –
Norwalk, California, April 17, 2010 - 400 m: 47.83 s – Walnut, California, April 12, 2008
- 400 m hurdles: 49.54 s – Walnut, California, April 21, 2012
- Long jump: 7.49 m (wind: -0.8 m/s) – Northridge, California, May 14, 2010
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Belize | |||||
| 2010 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 5th | 400 m hurdles | 51.08 |
| 2011 | Central American Championships | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 51.42 |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:22.40 | |||
| Pan American Games | Guadalajara, México | 15th (sf) | 400 m | 51.90 | |
| DNF (sf) | 4 × 100 m relay | ||||
| DNF (sf) | 4 × 400 m relay | ||||
| World Championships | Daegu, Korea | 32nd (h) | 400 m hurdles | 51.19 | |
| 2012 | Central American Championships | Managua, Nicaragua | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 49.81 |
| 2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:19.33 | |||
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 5th (sf) | 400 m hurdles | 49.87 | |
| 2013 | Central American Games | San José, Costa Rica | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 51.14 |
| 4th | 4 × 100 m relay | 42.94 | |||
| Central American Championships | Managua, Nicaragua | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 51.42 | |
| 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:18.13 | |||
| 2014 | Central American Championships | Tegucigalpa, Honduras | 2nd | 400 m hurdles | 51.16 |
