George Ezekiel Kerr (16 October 1937 – 15 June 2012) was a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n athlete who competed in the 400 and 800 metres. He competed for the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...

at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

, where he won the bronze medal in the 800 metres. He then teamed up with

Keith Gardner Keith Alvin Saint Hope Gardner (6 September 192925 May 2012) was a Jamaican athlete who competed in the 110 metre hurdles, 100 metres, 200 metres, and 400 metres. He competed for the British West Indies in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rom ...

, Malcolm Spence and James Wedderburn to win the bronze medal in the 4×400 metres relay. In 1962, he became the first Jamaican athlete to have the national flag flown in recognition of winning a gold when he won double gold in the 400 m and 800 m at the Central American and Caribbean Games held at Kingston's National Stadium. At the 1964 Olympics, representing Jamaica, he finished fourth both in the 800 m and the 4 × 400 m relay. He broke the Olympic record for the 800 m in the semi-finals but lost the bronze by less than one-tenth of a second with 1:45.9, his fastest ever time. Kerr won five medals at three

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. In 1958 he won a bronze in the 4 × 440 yards relay. He won gold medals in the 440 yards and in the 4 × 440 yards relay and silver in the

880 yards The 800 metres, or meters ( 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 an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

in 1962. His final medal, a bronze for the 880 yards, came in 1966 in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

. On 4 June 2012, Kerr had a heart attack and underwent heart surgery at the University Hospital of the West Indies. He remained in the intensive care unit until he succumbed to complications. He had a wife, Fay Kerr, five children, Karyn, Margaret, Roger, Candice and William and seven grandchildren.

References

External links

Commonwealth Games results
at GBRathletics.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, George 1937 births 2012 deaths People from Hanover Parish Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1959 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Illinois Fighting Illini men's track and field athletes Jamaican male sprinters Jamaican male middle-distance runners Olympic athletes of Jamaica Olympic athletes of the British West Indies Olympic bronze medalists for the British West Indies Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Jamaica Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Jamaica Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Jamaica Pan American Games gold medalists for the British West Indies Pan American Games silver medalists for the British West Indies Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Competitors at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Jamaica Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games