Kind Butler III (born April 8, 1989) is an American

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 ...

athlete who competes in the

400 meters The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

. In 2014, along with teammates

David Verburg David Verburg (born May 14, 1991) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 meters. He holds gold medals in the 4 × 400 m relay from the 2016 Olympics; the 2013 and 2015 World Championships; and the 2014 Indoor World Cham ...

Kyle Clemons Kyle Clemons (born December 27, 1990) is an American track and field sprinter who competed collegiately for the Kansas Jayhawks and specializes in the 400-meter dash. He was the 2014 champion at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and w ...

, and

Calvin Smith Jr. Calvin Smith Jr. (born December 10, 1987) is an American athlete who specialises in the 200m and 400m. He is the son of former world record-holder, world champion, Olympic medalist and National Track & Field Hall of Famer, Calvin Smith Sr. He is ...

, he helped set a new world record in the 4x400 meter relay at the

IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Indoor Championships are a biennial indoor track and field competition served as the global championship for that version of the sport. Organised by the World Athletics, the competition was inaugurated as the ''World Indoor G ...

Sopot, Poland Sopot is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, and has the City with powiat rights, status of the powiat, ...

Running Career

High School Butler attended

Lawrence Central High School Lawrence Central High School (LCHS) is a public high school with more than 2,300 students, in northeast Marion County, Indiana. Overview It was established in 1940 and is one of two high schools in the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence T ...

. He primarily played baseball and football in high school only joining the track team with three weeks left in his senior year. He would break the school Long Jump record and clear 6'8 in the high jump. Butler jumped 21'11'½ to finish 5th in the Long Jump at the 2007 IHSAA State track meet. College Butler went to

Kentucky State University Kentucky State University (KSU and KYSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Frankfort, Kentucky. Founded in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons ...

where he won the SIAC title in the high jump and broke school records in the long jump, high jump and 200m. After his freshman year he transferred to

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

to be coached by Ron Helmer. While at Indiana he primarily competed in the sprint events. In 2011 he was the Big 10 Indoor 60m champion. In 2012, as a senior, he was the Big 10 Indoor and outdoor champion in the 200m. Professional After his senior season at Indiana, Butler competed in the 2012 USA Championships where he immediately was competitive making the semi-finals in both the 200 meters and the 400 meters. In 2014 he made the Team USA indoor 4x400 team and competed at the World Championships in Sopot, Poland. He ran the third leg in 45.41 helping the team wing gold and set a new world record of 3:02.13. The team divided a prize purse of $90,000 -- $40,000 for a gold medal and a $50,000 bonus for the world record. While finishing up his professional career he also worked as an assistant track coach at Marian University from 2013-2016.

Race Result Table

Statistics

Personal bests

References

Living people 1990 births American male sprinters African-American male track and field athletes Indiana Hoosiers men's track and field athletes World Athletics indoor record holders (relay) Track and field athletes from Indianapolis World Athletics Indoor Championships winners 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people {{US-sprint-athletics-bio-stub Track and field athletes from Indiana