Cravon Tommy Gillespie (born July 31, 1996) is an American professional

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 events ...

sprinter who specializes in 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

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 ...

races. He represented the United States at the

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

, earning a gold medal in the

4 × 100 metres relay The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the individu ...

College career

Following stints at Monrovia High School and Mount San Antonio College, Gillespie became an All-American multiple times for the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conferenc ...

2018

In 2018, Gillespie won the PAC-12 100m title and finished second in the 200m. He qualified for the 100m final at the Outdoor NCAA Championships, where he finished fourth in 10.27 seconds.

2019

After finishing 4th in the 60m at NCAA Indoors, Gillespie's breakthrough came outdoors; he defended his PAC-12 100m title in 9.97 seconds, breaking 10 seconds for the first time. He also won the 200m in 20.17 seconds. At NCAAs, he was second in both 100m and 200m, setting Oregon school records of 9.93 and 19.93 seconds, respectively.

International career

2019

On June 14, 2019, just seven days after his breakthrough NCAA performances, Gillespie turned professional and signed with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

. He focused on the 100 metres for the rest of the season, finishing fourth at the US Championships and qualifying for the US'

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

4 × 100 metres relay team. He was also selected to represent USA at the

2019 Pan American Games The 2019 Pan American Games ( es, Juegos Panamericanos de 2019, links=no), officially the XVIII Pan American Games and commonly known as the Lima 2019 Pan-Am Games or Lima 2019 ( qu, Limaq 2019), were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Spo ...

, where he finished sixth in the

and won bronze in the

. Gillespie was scheduled to compete in the

100 meters 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 contest ...

at the

. He ultimately did not race individually, but did race as part of the

heats; he did not race in the relay final, but due to racing in the heats was awarded a gold medal. He entered the Championships with a tie for the fifth fastest time in the world.

2020

On August 6, 2020, Gillespie won his first race as a professional at the PVAMU Back To The Track Series 3 in

Prairie View, Texas Prairie View is a city in Waller County, Texas, United States, situated on the northwestern edge of the metropolitan area. The population was 8,184 at the 2020 census. Prairie View A&M University, the second oldest public university in Texas, i ...

2021

After a rocky start to his season, Gillespie returned to Mt. San Antonio for the USATF Golden Games, where he would compete against

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

wide receiver

DK Metcalf DeKaylin Zecharius "DK" Metcalf (born December 14, 1997) is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss. He is the son of former NFL guard Terrence ...

in the 100 metres. He won his heat with ease in 10.11 seconds, then won the final in a season's best of 9.96 seconds; his first sub-10 since NCAAS two years prior. He then set his sights on the

Olympic Trials Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

, where he finished sixth in 10.00 seconds. He also competed in the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

in Tokyo, Japan where he ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay team also featuring

Trayvon Bromell Trayvon Jaquez Bromell (born July 10, 1995) is an American professional track and field athlete specializing in sprinting events. He was the first junior to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters with a time of 9.97 seconds, the former jun ...

Fred Kerley Fredrick Lee Kerley (born May 7, 1995) is an American track and field sprinter known primarily for competing in the 400 meters distance but more recently the 100 meters and 200 meters. He has earned several medals at the World Championships in ...

, and Ronnie Baker.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Cravon 1996 births Living people American male sprinters Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships winners Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2019 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States