Jeremy Raponi Dodson (born August 30, 1987) is an American-

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

n sprinter, competing primarily in the sprint events of track & field. He represented the United States of America professionally at several Athletic World Championships. He then represented the country of Samoa at the 2016 Olympics, as well as the Commonwealth Games and Pacific Games. He competed in the 200 metres event at the 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2019 World Championships in Athletics.

Background

Dodson was born and raised in the United States and is based in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. His mother is from

Malie Malie is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. It is located on the north coast in the Electoral Constituency (''Faipule District'') of Sagaga Le Usoga which forms part of the larger political district of Tuamasaga. The village has been a tradi ...

, Samoa with his father born in the United States. He represented both the United States and Samoa at several international events, including the Olympics and World Championships, while struggling with health complications surrounding brain cysts and tumors. As a result, he went through several rounds of chemotherapy before the 2012 Olympic Games, again in 2020, and continues to battle conditions surrounding a traumatic brain condition.

High school

Dodson had 10.41 – 100 meters and 400-meters - 46.91 times in

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

and was recruited to

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...

and he was named to the

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

All-USA high school track and field team in 2005. He won 2005

Colorado High School Activities Association The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is the governing body for all high school activities throughout the state of Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United Sta ...

state championships in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. He earned silver medal at 2005

Golden West Invitational The Golden West Invitational (GWI) high school track & field all-star meet brings together top high school athletes from throughout the country and provides them with the very highest levels of competition. The GWI made its debut in 1960 and is held ...

in 200 meters and 2005

State of Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

boys

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 ...

Gatorade Player of the Year awards The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...

NCAA

Dodson ran in 2008 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) in the 200 meters placing 17th. He placing 20th in 100 meters and 13th in the 200 meters at

2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Drake Stadium, Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on June 23–27, 2010. In order to boost the visibility of this event, USATF sponsored a member appreciation tent at the event and ...

Outdoor

Dodson is a four time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

All-American. He earned four letters at Colorado. He stands fourth on the all-time

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...

list 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 ...

in 10.27 and first on

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

Outdoor record books in the 200 meters in 20.37.

Indoor

He stands third on

Indoor record books in the 60 meters in 6.73. He stands first on

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

Indoor record books in the 200 meters in 20.88.

World competition

Dodson is a bronze medalist for the United States at Athletics at the 2011 Pan American Games – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay. He competed in 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 ...

at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres for the United States in

Daegu, South Korea Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

. He competed for

in the

200 meters 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 ...

at the

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, United Kingdom, and 2019 World Championships in Athletics in Doha, Qatar. Dodson qualified to represent

Samoa at the 2016 Summer Olympics Samoa competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympic Games, although it had previously competed in four editions under the name '' ...

by meeting

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification For the athletics competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the following qualification systems were in place. Qualification ended on 11 July 2016. Russian disqualification Because of the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation by t ...

in 200 meters in Phoenix May 2016. Dodson placed 35th at 200 meters 20.51 s in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres The men's 200 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics took place between 16–18 August in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange. There were 77 competitors from 48 nations. The event was won by Usain Bolt of Jama ...

opening round.

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dodson, Jeremy 1987 births Living people American sportspeople of Samoan descent Track and field athletes from New York (state) Track and field athletes from Denver Samoan male sprinters American male sprinters World Athletics Championships athletes for Samoa World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Samoa Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Samoa