Michael Blackwood (born 29 August 1976 in Clarendon) is 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 male

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 eve ...

athlete, who specialized 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 o ...

, his personal best being 44.60 set during his win at the

2002 IAAF World Cup The 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was hosted by Madrid, September 21–22, 2002, in the Estadio La Peineta. The IAAF wo ...

. He was chosen as the Jamaica Sportsman of the Year in 2002, in that same year he was the world number one rank by IAAF in the 400 meters. He is the brother of Catherine Scott who earned a silver medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Blackwood won the NAIA national 400 meters title in 1997. He is the winner of Jamaica 400 meters national championships three times. Blackwood holds the

Big 12 conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

record in the 400 meters since 2000 in the time of 44.69. He is an alumnus of

The University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

. Blackwood was the 400 meters gold medallist at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

, the bronze medallist at the 2003 World Championships, the winner at the 2002, 2003 and 2004 IAAF World Athletics Final, eighth in the Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 meters at the

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

, and a semi-finalist at the 2005 World Championships. He had much success with the Jamaican

4×400 metres relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

team: he won a silver at the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

, silver at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships, a bronze at the 2005 World Championships, a gold at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships and a final silver at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships. At the 2009 Jamaica National Championships, Blackwood tried for a spot at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

, but was disqualified running outside his lane in the semi-finals of the 400 m. In August, he announced his retirement from the sport.

Medal upgrades

In 2009 American sprinter Jerome Young admitted to doping during the period of 1999 through 2003. The IAAF gave Young a life ban as a result and annulled his performances. This had a significant effect on Blackwoods career: Jamaica were elevated to World Indoor 4 × 400 m Relay gold medal, where Blackwood ran the third leg. He was given the 400 m bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships, as well as being moved up to the top spot at the 2003 World Athletics Final.2003 WAF 400 Metres – M Final
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International competition record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blackwood, Michael 1976 births Living people Sportspeople from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican male sprinters Olympic athletes of Jamaica Track and field athletes from Oklahoma Olympic silver medalists for Jamaica Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for Jamaica Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Jamaica Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Goodwill Games medalists in athletics World Athletics Indoor Championships winners World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games Goodwill Games gold medalists in athletics