Robert Adrian Andrews (born March 29, 1991) is an American

middle distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 15 ...

who specializes in the 800 and

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athleti ...

. While competing with

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

he won the men's 800 meters at the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Running career

High school

Raised in

Manalapan Township, New Jersey Manalapan Township (, ) is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the ...

, Andrews attended

Manalapan High School Manalapan High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Manalapan Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves students i ...

, graduating in 2009. As a senior in 2009, he set the U.S. high school indoor records for both the 800 m, at 1:49.21, and the

1000 m The 1000 metres is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. The 1000 yards, an imperial alternative, was sometimes also contested. All-time top 25 *h = hand timed *i = indoor performance *A = affected by ...

, at 2:22.28. At the

2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes under the age of 20 which was held at the Moncton Stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada from 19 to 25 July 2010. A total of 44 athlet ...

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces. The city has earned the nickname "Hub City" because of ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, Andrews won a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receiv ...

over 800 m, becoming (along with

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, et ...

ist

Casimir Loxsom Casimir Loxsom (born March 17, 1991) is a retired American middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. In addition to attending and running at Pennsylvania State University, Loxsom has represented the United States in international c ...

) the first American male to medal in a middle distance event at the world junior championships.

Collegiate

Andrews competed in the 2010

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

Outdoor Track and Field Championships his freshman year, placing second in the 800 m event to

Andrew Wheating Andrew "Andy" Wheating is a retired American middle distance runner. Wheating competed for the United States in the men's 800 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, and in the 1500 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was a professi ...

of Oregon. His more recent achievements include winning the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship 800-meter race in the second fastest time ever run for an NCAA 800 Championship race, recording a personal best time of 1:44.71 to come from the back of the field and narrowly beat Charles Jock of UC Irvine (1:44.75). Other notable achievements included winning the 800 meters at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships, beating out

on the line.

Professional

Andrews left University of Virginia in 2012, his junior year, and signed a professional contract with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacture ...

through 2017. In 2013, he joined the New York New Jersey Track Club and coach Frank Gagliano while keeping Adidas sponsorship. However, after a period of time he decided to leave the New York New Jersey Track Club, favoring a return to his UVA coach Jason Vigilante. He qualified at the 2016 Olympic Trials by kicking into the second qualifying position. Later that year he participated in the

2016 Olympic Games ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro d ...

where he was disqualified in the semi-final round for stepping inside of the curb while executing his kick. In the 1500 meters final at the

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 22–25 a ...

, he outkicked Olympic gold medalist

Matthew Centrowitz Jr. Matthew Centrowitz Jr. (born October 18, 1989) is an American middle-distance runner who is the 2016 Olympic champion in the 1500 meters. He became a prominent figure in U.S. running when he won a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships i ...

to take first place with a time of 3:43.29, capturing his first-ever national championship.

Personal best

References

External links

*
Virginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Robby 1991 births American male middle-distance runners Living people Manalapan High School alumni People from Manalapan Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey Track and field athletes from New Jersey Virginia Cavaliers men's track and field athletes World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American people