Javier Culson

Culson at the2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Native name	Javier Culson Pérez.
Full name	Javier Culson Pérez
Nationality	Puerto Rico
Citizenship	Javier Culson Pérez holds Puerto Rican citizenship, as Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. This also means he is a U.S. citizen
Born	(1984-07-25)25 July 1984 (age 40) Ponce, Puerto Rico
Height	6 ft 7 in (201 cm)
Weight	181 lb (82 kg)
Sport
Sport	Hurdling
Event	400 metre hurdles
Coached by	Héctor "Cano" Amill Alicea[1]
Achievements and titles
Personalbest	400 m H: 47.72 s (Ponce 2010)
Medal record Men'sathletics Representing Puerto Rico Olympic Games 2012 London 400 m hurdles World Championships 2009 Berlin 400 m hurdles 2011 Daegu 400 m hurdles Pan American Games 2015 Toronto 400 m hurdles Central American and Caribbean Games 2010 Mayaguez 400 m hurdles Central American and Caribbean Championships 2009 Havana 400 m hurdles NACAC Championships 2015 Costa Rica 400 m hurdles 2007 San Salvador 400 m hurdles Ibero-American Championships 2006 Puerto Rico 400 m hurdles Pan American Junior Championships 2003 Bridgetown 400 m hurdles RepresentingAmericas Continental Cup 2010 Split 400 m hurdles 2014 Marrakech 400 m hurdles 2014 Marrakech 4×400 m relay
Updated on 7 August 2016

Javier Culson Pérez (born 25 July 1984^[2]) is aPuerto Ricanathlete andOlympiad bronze medalist who specialises in the400-metre hurdles. After becoming involved with the discipline in his late teen years, he entered the podium in some regional youth events, including thePan American Junior Athletics Championships. Culson is a two-time silver medallist at theInternational Association of Athletics Federations's (IAAF) World Championships and an elite contender in theSamsung Diamond League, where he finished second overall in 2011. He has also garnished medals in events with lower profiles, including theCentral American and Caribbean Games and theIbero-American Championships. He currently holds the record as "the world's fastest man" in that category.^[3] Culson also competed at the2012 Olympics in London winning thebronze medal in the 400-metre hurdles race.^[4][5][6] In the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Culson made it all the way to the finals of the men's 400m hurdles only to be disqualified by a false start.

Culson Pérez was born in BarrioPlaya,Ponce, Puerto Rico, on 25 July 1984, to Señor Culson and Judith Pérez.^[7] One of four siblings, along Javier Ramón Antonio, Judith Marie and Mary Caridad, he was raised solely by his mother in his native Playa de Ponce.^[8] Since his birth and throughout his childhood, Culson was a sickly child, suffering fromgastritis due to a pronounced line in his abdomen, which limited the types of food that he could eat. This condition, along with anasthma diagnosis, forced him to spend a considerable amount of time in hospitals during his upbringing and extending into his teenager years. To deal with Culson's health and attend to her other children, Judith Pérez left her established job as a nurse atHospital Oncológico Andrés Grillasca in Ponce and began taking odd jobs, such asbabysitting and ironing clothes.^[8]

By the time that he was a teenager, all of his siblings were involved in sports. Culson developed an interest in basketball and extreme sports and also enteredLong-distance running races. When he was 16 years old, he met Héctor Amill, who trained his sister and soon identified Culson's potential as ahurdles athlete, remaining as his trainer to this day.^[9] He completed his high school education atEscuela Jardines de Ponce.^[10] Culson then enrolled at American University, where he was part of their athletics team, the Piratas, performing for two years before transferring.^[10] Culson then enrolled in thePhysical Education program at thePontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico,^{[11][failed verification]} where he was active in theLiga Atlética Interuniversitaria (LAI), the apex inter-university league in Puerto Rico. Culson's first daughter, Yarién Culson Corcino, was born on 29 May 2008, and he has been dedicating his victories to her ever since.^[12]

Culson Pérez won his first international gold medal in his home town at the 2006Ibero-American Championships.^[13] He won a bronze medal at the2007 Summer Universiade with a time of 49.35 seconds. His first major senior tournament was the2007 World Championships in Athletics. He reached the 400 m hurdles semi-finals at the competition. As one of only six track athletes who made thePuerto Rican Olympic team that year, Culson Pérez competed at the2008 Beijing Olympics. He progressed to the semi-finals but failed to reach the final.^[13]

Culson Pérez began his 2009 pre-season by entering an800 metres race atCarolina'sClásico de Primavera, winning with a 1:49.95 mark; four seconds over the time required to enter the World Championships in that discipline. In July, he set a personal best of 48.09 seconds in the 400 m hurdles, in the process establishing a Puerto Rican national record.^[14] On 18 August 2009, Culson Pérez won the silver medal in the finals of the 400 metres hurdles at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. This is the first Medal for Puerto Rico in Athletics at the IAAF World Championships. Guided by Víctor López, Culson Pérez signed a promotional contract withMichael Johnson's Ultimate Performance Sport Management, joining a small group of elite athletes sponsored by this agency.^[15] On 14 January 2010, Culson Pérez was named "Athlete of the Year" by the COPUR.^[16]

After months of inactivity, he began his pre-season preparation, winning the 800 metres race at theClásico de Primavera with a time of 1:50.13. Culson Pérez opened his 2010 season at the Drake Relays, winning the race with 48.67, one of the best marks of the year up to that point.^[17] In his second outing, he recorded 48.48 at the Guadalupe Grand Prix. On 8 May 2010, Culson Pérez established a new personal and national record at thePonce Grand Prix, breaking the 48-second mark with a 47.72 victory (best overall in the world during the initial part of the season) over Michael Tinsley of the United States (48.46).^[18][19] Culson Pérez then went on to earn his second worldwide silver medal on 1 September 2011 when he clocked 48.44 seconds at theIAAF World Championships inDaegu, South Korea.^[20][21]

Culson competed in the2012 Olympics in London on Friday, 3 August; Saturday 4 August, and Monday 6 August.^[5] In interviews from his barrio Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico, his family reported they would be "glued to their TVs" awaiting the moment Culson made entry into the Olympic stadium.^[7] He was also selected to be theflagbearer for the Puerto Rico delegation during theOpening Ceremonies of the London Olympics.^[22] A local reporter stated that, for the ceremony, most businesses in his barrio Playa closed down and "the streets were deserted".^[7] Culson scored the best overall time in the first day of competition, winning the highly-competitive heat 5 with a time of 48.33 seconds, and advancing to the semi-finals. This race also recorded the second best time and qualified more athletes than any other heat. Culson won his semifinal over two-time Olympic winnerAngelo Taylor running 47.93 seconds.^[11] On 6 August 2012 Culson won the bronze medal in the final of the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 48.10 seconds (less than a half-second behind the gold-medal time),^[23][24] winning Puerto Rico's first Olympic medal in 16 years and the first Olympic athletics medal for his country (all other Puerto Rican medals had been won in boxing).

• All information taken from IAAF profile.^[13]

¹Disqualified in the final

In 2010 he was voted "Puerto Rico's Athlete of the Year".^[25][26]

In 2011, he washomaged by thePuerto Rico House of Representatives upon becoming the first Puerto Rican athlete to receive a medal at the2011 World Championships in Athletics.^[27]

After euphoric moments when Culson's final London 2012 Olympics race was being watched by Puerto Rico GovernorLuis Fortuno, Ponce MayorMaria Melendez, Culson's family and over 3,000 people on a huge screen atPlaza Las Delicias, Culson's home town of Ponce hosted a celebration to his honor upon his return from London on 14 August 2012.^[28]

• List of Puerto Ricans

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJavier Culson.

• Javier Culson atWorld Athletics
• Javier Culson atIMDb
• Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen;Mallon, Bill; et al."Javier Culson".Olympics at Sports-Reference.com.Sports Reference LLC. Archived fromthe original on 10 July 2012.
• ESPN profile

Olympic Games
Preceded by McWilliams Arroyo	Flagbearer for Puerto Rico London 2012	Succeeded by Jaime Espinal

• 1984 births
• Living people
• Puerto Rican male hurdlers
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
• Olympic track and field athletes for Puerto Rico
• Sportspeople from Ponce, Puerto Rico
• Olympic bronze medalists for Puerto Rico
• World Athletics Championships medalists
• Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• World Athletics Championships athletes for Puerto Rico
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 Pan American Games
• Pan American Games silver medalists for Puerto Rico
• Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico alumni
• Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
• Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Puerto Rico
• Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games
• Universiade medalists for Puerto Rico
• Diamond League winners
• Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics
• Medalists at the 2007 Summer Universiade
• Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games
• 21st-century American sportsmen

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