 Merritt at the2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1985-07-24)July 24, 1985 (age 39) Chicago,Illinois, U.S. |
| Home town | Marietta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1] |
| Weight | 158 lb (72 kg)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| Event | Hurdles |
| College team | Tennessee Volunteers |
| Updated on 28 August 2015 | |
Aries Merritt (born July 24, 1985) is an Americantrack and field athlete who specializes in the110 metre hurdles, and currently holds theworld record in that event with a time of 12.80 s set on September 7, 2012.[2][3] He won the gold medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the2012 Summer Olympics inLondon.
Born inChicago,Illinois, he moved toMarietta, Georgia at a young age, attendingJoseph Wheeler High School, where he was teammates withReggie Witherspoon. Merritt ran for theUniversity of Tennessee from 2003 to 2006 and had a successful college career, a seven-time All-American. He took the 110 meter hurdles gold at the2004 World Junior Championships and finished sixth at the2006 World Athletics Final. Also in 2006, he won theNCAA Championships,Indoors andOutdoors and was undefeated in all hurdles events that year. He brokeWillie Gault'sTennessee Volunteers hurdles record. His victory at the NCAA Championships in 13.21 s was the second fastest ever collegiate time in the United States, behind onlyRenaldo Nehemiah. He reached theWorld Athletics Final in 2008, finishing in fourth.Merritt is the first hurdler to ever win gold in the US Indoor Championship, the World Indoor Championship (Istanbul, Turkey), the US Olympic Trials, and the Olympic Games all in the same year.
In the final of the110m hurdles at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Merritt was initially classified 6th, with a time of 13.67 s. AfterDayron Robles was disqualified, Merritt was promoted to 5th. His season's best was 13.12 s, achieved in Eugene, Oregon and Oslo.
Merritt began the 2012 campaign by altering his approach to the first hurdle, switching from eight to seven steps.[4] In an interview he stated, "[it] was pretty risky to make a change like that, but something had to be done if I was going to compete with (Liu Xiang of China and Dayron Robles of Cuba). The change allows me to maintain my momentum going into the first barrier." Merrit's change was highly successful for the 2012 indoor season as he became the indoor world champion in the 60 meters hurdles at the2012 World Indoor Championships inIstanbul. In the final, he beatLiu Xiang andPascal Martinot-Lagarde with a time of 7.44 s.
At theOlympic trials in Oregon, Merritt won the 110 meter hurdles final in a world leading time of 12.93 s,[5] making the Olympic team for the first time. Merritt subsequently matched the time at two consecutiveDiamond League events, at Crystal Palace and Monaco, winning both races.
At the2012 Olympic Games in London, Merritt began by running the fastest qualifying time in the heats with a time of 13.07 s. In the semi-finals, he was again dominant with a time of 12.94 s. In the final,Dayron Robles and Merritt got the fastest starts but Merritt pulled ahead at hurdle 3. He continued to a personal best of 12.92 s and a 0.12 s win over reigning world championJason Richardson.[6][7]
On September 7, 2012, at the final Diamond League meet (Memorial Van Damme) in Brussels, Belgium, Merritt ran a time of 12.80 s in the 110 meter hurdles, shattering the old world record of 12.87 s held by Dayron Robles. Merritt's performance was the largest drop in the world record for 110 meter hurdles (0.07 s) sinceNehemiah in 1981.[8] Merrit ran consistently throughout the 2012 season. The following are his times that lead-up to his world record performance in the 110 meter hurdles:
| Meet | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials (final) | June 30, 2012 | 12.93 |
| Aviva London Grand Prix | July 13, 2012 | 12.93 |
| Herculis | July 20, 2012 | 12.93 |
| 2012 Summer Olympics (final) | August 8, 2012 | 12.92 |
| Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix | August 26, 2012 | 12.95 |
| Internationales Stadionfest | September 2, 2012 | 12.97 |
| Belgacom Memorial Van Damme | September 7, 2012 | 12.80 |
Merritt finished 6th at theWorld Championships. After the competition, he felt very ill and was diagnosed with collapsingfocal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare congenitalkidney disease,[9] aggravated by aparvovirus that had attacked his kidneys andbone marrow.[10] After several months of medical treatment, he was eventually able to return to competition on the following year, albeit far from his previous registers.[11]
Merrit's recovery from his kidney problems was enough to allow him to finish third in theUSATF Outdoor Championships in June, obtaining a place for theWorld Championship.[12] On 28 August he won the bronze medal in the 110m hurdles, just four days before undergoing a scheduled kidney transplant.[11][13]
He won the2017 IAAF Diamond League 110m hurdles inRome on June 8, 2017.
Merritt sought to qualify for the pandemic-delayedTokyo Olympics in 2021 but did not succeed.[14]
Merritt served as an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles atBrown University 2022-2024.[15] In the fall of 2024 he was hired as an assistant coach atTexas State University.
| Event | Best | Location | Date | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 meters hurdles | 7.10 s | Gainesville, Florida, United States | January 21, 2006 | |
| 60 meters hurdles | 7.43 s | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | February 26, 2012 | |
| 110 meters hurdles | 12.80 s | Brussels, Belgium | September 7, 2012 | WR |
| 200 meters | 21.46 s | Bloomington, Indiana, United States | January 7, 2006 | |
| 400 meters hurdles | 51.94 s | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | April 9, 2004 |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing United States | |||||
| 2004 | World Junior Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 1st | 110 m hurdles | 13.56(wind: -0.6 m/s) |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 27th (h) | 13.70 | |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 5th | 13.67 | |
| 2012 | World Indoor Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 1st | 60 m hurdles | 7.44 |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 110 m hurdles | 12.92 | ||
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 6th | 13.31 | |
| 2015 | World Championships | Beijing, China | 3rd | 13.04 | |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 5th | 13.31 | |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 4th | 60 m hurdles | 7.56 |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 110 m hurdles world record holder September 7, 2012 – present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
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