Ronald Levy (athlete)

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Ronald Levy
Ronald Levy (42411177464) (cropped).jpg
Levy in 2018
Personal information
Born (1992-10-30) 30 October 1992 (age 32)
Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in) [1]
Weight83 kg (183 lb) [1]
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event 110 metres hurdles
College team University of Technology, Jamaica
Coached by Stephen Francis
Brigitte Foster-Hylton
Achievements and titles
Personal best110 m hurdles: 13.05
Medal record
Representing Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2020 Tokyo 110 m hurdles
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2018 Gold Coast 110 m hurdles
Continental Cup
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2018 Ostrava 110 m hurdles

Ronald Levy (born 30 October 1992) is a Jamaican male track and field athlete who competes in the 110 metres hurdles. He holds a personal best of 13.05 seconds for that event, set in 2017, as well as a 100 metres sprint best of 10.17 seconds. [2] He was the gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Contents

Career

Born in Westmoreland Parish, he went on to study at the University of Technology, Jamaica. [1] He took time to develop as an elite athlete, initially competing in a variety of sprint and hurdles events. In the 2014 season, he ran a best of 20.81 seconds for the 200 metres, showing his flat speed. He gradually improved his time in the 110 m hurdles, running 13.63 seconds in 2015 and 13.50 in 2016. [2]

A significant breakthrough came in the 2017 season under the coaching of Stephen Francis and Brigitte Foster-Hylton. He defeated Olympic medallist Hansle Parchment at the UTech Classic before winning at the Penn Relays in a new best of 13.33 seconds. On his IAAF Diamond League debut he was runner-up to Olympic champion Omar McLeod at the Prefontaine Classic – his time of 13.10 seconds ranked him second in the world behind his compatriot. [3] He was runner-up to McLeod at the Jamaican Athletics Championships in June, [4] then overhauled his rival to win at the Meeting de Paris Diamond League, establishing himself among the world's best with a time of 13.05 seconds. [5] Another win followed at the Meeting Città di Padova, but at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics he failed at the first hurdle in the heats and withdrew. [6]

He had his first indoor hurdles appearances in 2018 and, after a win at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix, he managed to reach the 60 metres hurdles semi-finals at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final by one hundredth of a second. [7] He achieved his first international medal at the age of 25, taking gold at the Commonwealth Games in a Jamaican 1–2 with Hansle Parchment. [8]

In June 2020, Levy won the Jamaican Olympic trials with a time of 13.10 to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In the final of the 110 m hurdles at the Olympic Games he won the bronze medal with a time of 13.10, finishing behind Hansle Parchment and Grant Holloway.[ citation needed ]

In November 2023, Levy tested positive for GW501516 which is a banned substance under anti-doping rules. [9] Levy was subsequently issued with a four-year ban by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission to run to 2027. [10] [11]

Personal bests

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 110 m hurdles DNF
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom9th (sf) 60 m hurdles 7.62
Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia1st 110 m hurdles 13.19
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 14th (h) 110 m hurdles 13.481
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan3rd 110 m hurdles 13.10
2022 World Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia26th (h) 60 m hurdles 7.75

1Disqualified in the semifinals

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ronald Levy. 2018GC. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  2. 1 2 Ronald Levy. IAAF. Retrieved on 2018-04-11.
  3. Levy humbled by hurdles performances. Jamaica Gleaner (2017-06-12). Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  4. Francis, Noel (2017-06-25). McLeod scorches to 12.90 110m hurdles win at Jamaican Championships. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. Chepkoech and Levy upstage Olympic champions in Paris – IAAF Diamond League. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. Mills, Steven (2017-08-06). Report: men's 110m hurdles heats – IAAF World Championships London 2017. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  7. Sutton, Nicola (2018-03-04). Report: men's 60m hurdles semi-finals - IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  8. Commonwealth Games: Levy takes sprint hurdles gold, Parchment silver. Jamaica Observer (2018-04-10). retrieved 2018-04-11.
  9. Buchanan, Orane (24 November 2023). "Levy facing four-year ban". Jamiaca Gleaner.
  10. Chuma, Festus (24 August 2024). "Olympic medalist handed four-year ban as Jamaica's anti-doping agency continues to tighten noose". Pulse Sports.
  11. Buchanan, Orane (25 August 2024). "Curtains for Levy career?". Jamiaca Gleaner.