Kemoy Campbell (born January 14, 1991) is a retired

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 ...

distance runner 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 comes two d ...

who competed in various events from

800 meters 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 ...

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

. Since competing in the American collegiate circuit, he has developed a reputation for having remarkable range, having competitive experience from the 800 meters to the 10K. Campbell holds multiple

Jamaican records in athletics The following are the national records in athletics in Jamaica maintained by its national athletics federation: Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA). Outdoor Key to tables: + = en route to a longer distance A = affected by alt ...

Running career

Youth

As a youngster, Campbell ran on the track team of Bellefield High School, in

Manchester Parish The Parish of Manchester is a parish located in west-central Jamaica, in the county of Middlesex. Its capital, Mandeville, is a major business centre. Its St. Paul of the Cross Pro-Cathedral is the episcopal see of the Latin Catholic Dioces ...

, Jamaica. Although the overwhelming majority on the team were sprinters, Campbell was coached for distance running; one of his first races was a 5K road race. While still in Bellefield HS, Campbell was scouted by the University of Arkansas, the school he would attend many years later. In 2010, he became the first Jamaican high schooler to win the high school boys 3000m at the

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (also Penn Relays Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012, there were ...

Collegiate

Campbell first ran with

South Plains College South Plains College (SPC) is a public community college in Levelland, Texas. It operates satellite branches in Plainview, at the Reese Technology Center, formerly Reese Air Force Base, in western Lubbock, and the Lubbock Center near centra ...

of Levelland, Texas, with whom he won NJCAA titles in the 800 meters and in cross country. He subsequently transferred to the same university which had scouted him back in Jamaica, University of Arkansas. At Arkansas, Campbell was coached by Chris Bucknam. At the 2013 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships, Campbell placed fifth in the men's 5000 meters final and placed second in the men's 3000 meters at the 2013 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Professional

Campbell opened the indoor season with an altitude 4:02.59 mile in

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...

representing

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

on January 22, 2016. Campbell set a PR and Jamaican indoor record in the men's 3000 meters representing

at the 2016

Millrose Games The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held each February in New York City. They started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011 ...

on February 20. Kemoy Campbell placed fifth in 13:30.09 in the

on May 20, 2016 at the

Hoka One One Hoka One One (stylized as HOKA) is an athletic shoe company originating in Annecy, France that designs and markets running shoes. The brand first gained attention in the running industry by producing shoes with oversized outsoles, dubbed "maximal ...

Mid Distance Classic hosted by

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...

. On February 26, 2017, Campbell ran 13:14.45 indoors at the BU Last Chance meet to break the Jamaican 5000m record. Kemoy added a fourth national championship title to his collection on June 23, 2017, when he won the 5000m. On August 12, 2017, Kemoy became the first male Jamaican distance runner to compete in a final at the IAAF World Championships in London. He finished 10th with a time of 13:39.74. During the

in 2019, Campbell lost consciousness due to sudden cardiac arrest, and CPR was performed by bystanders. A

defibrillator Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''coun ...

had to be used to revive him. Campbell was setting the pace in the men's 3000m event. On September 5, 2019, Campbell announced his retirement from competitive running. He is currently coaching track and has been forced to limit his physical activity on the orders of his cardiologist.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Kemoy Living people 1991 births Jamaican male middle-distance runners Jamaican male long-distance runners People from Mandeville, Jamaica Arkansas Razorbacks men's track and field athletes World Athletics Championships athletes for Jamaica Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Jamaica Arkansas Razorbacks men's cross country runners Jamaican male cross country runners Jamaican Athletics Championships winners