| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Cravon Tommy Gillespie |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | (1996-07-31)July 31, 1996 (age 28) Pasadena,California |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event | Sprinting |
| College team | Oregon Ducks |
| Turned pro | 2019 |
| Coached by |
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| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbests |
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Medal record | |
Cravon Tommy Gillespie (born July 31, 1996) is an American professionaltrack and fieldsprinter who specializes in the100 metres and200 metres races. He represented the United States at the2019 World Athletics Championships, earning a gold medal in the4 × 100 metres relay.
Following stints at Monrovia High School andMount San Antonio College, Gillespie became anAll-American multiple times for theOregon Ducks andMt. SAC Mounties.[1]
In 2018, Gillespie won thePAC-12 100m title and finished second in the 200m. He qualified for the 100m final at theOutdoor NCAA Championships, where he finished fourth in 10.27 seconds.
After finishing 4th in the 60m atNCAA Indoors, Gillespie's breakthrough came outdoors; he defended hisPAC-12 100m title in 9.97 seconds, breaking 10 seconds for the first time. He also won the 200m in 20.17 seconds. AtNCAAs, he was second in both 100m and 200m, setting Oregon school records of 9.93 and 19.93 seconds, respectively.
On June 14, 2019, just seven days after his breakthrough NCAA performances, Gillespie turned professional and signed withNike. He focused on the 100 metres for the rest of the season, finishing fourth at theUS Championships and qualifying for the US'World Championship 4 × 100 metres relay team. He was also selected to represent USA at the2019 Pan American Games, where he finished sixth in the100 metres and won bronze in the4 × 100 metres relay.[2]
Gillespie was scheduled to compete in the100 meters at the2019 World Athletics Championships.[3] He ultimately did not race individually, but did race as part of the4 × 100 metres relay heats; he did not race in the relay final, but due to racing in the heats was awarded a gold medal.[4]
He entered the Championships with a tie for the fifth fastest time in the world.[5]
On August 6, 2020, Gillespie won his first race as a professional at the PVAMU Back To The Track Series 3 inPrairie View, Texas.
After a rocky start to his season, Gillespie returned to Mt. San Antonio for the USATF Golden Games, where he would compete againstSeattle Seahawkswide receiverDK Metcalf in the 100 metres. He won his heat with ease in 10.11 seconds, then won the final in a season's best of 9.96 seconds; his first sub-10 since NCAAS two years prior. He then set his sights on theOlympic Trials, where he finished sixth in 10.00 seconds. He also competed in the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan where he ran the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay team also featuringTrayvon Bromell,Fred Kerley, andRonnie Baker.
