Sanjay Ayre

Last updated

Sanjay Ayre
Sanjay Ayre at the 2008 Olympic Games.jpg
Sanjay Ayre, competes in the 4x400m finals at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
Personal information
Born (1980-06-19) 19 June 1980 (age 44)
Kingston, Jamaica
Height1.91 m (6.3 ft)
Weight83 kg (183 lb)
Sport
Sport Running
Event 400 meters

Sanjay Claude Ayre (born 19 June 1980 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a retired Jamaican sprinter who specialized in the 400 meters. Ayre won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Ayre is a 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championship Gold medalist and a three-time World Outdoor Championship medalist.

Contents

During an international athletic career that spanned 15 years, Ayre has won eleven gold, three silver, and four bronze medals at both the junior and senior levels. Ayre graduated from Auburn University after receiving a full athletic scholarship. Ayre would compete internationally throughout his high school and collegiate career, successfully balancing competing priorities. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology from Auburn University, and in 2003 signed a lucrative shoe contract with sports apparel company Puma.

Early career

Ayre attended Calabar and Excelsior High Schools in St. Andrew, Jamaica where he was an all-around athlete. After moving to the United States, Ayre attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York, where he participated in multiple sports. [1] [2] In addition to his track & field accomplishments, Ayre was recognized for his outstanding athletic ability in soccer and swimming. Under the coaching of Edward Hector, he was voted the "1999 High School Athlete of the Year" after winning the 400-meter title at the Indoor and Outdoor National Scholastic meets. At the age of 18, still considered a Junior athlete(U20), Ayre made his senior debut representing the Jamaica National team in the 4 × 400 meters relay at the 1999 World Indoor Championships in Maebashi, Japan. This team went on to break the Jamaican National Record. Ayre has also won gold medals at the 1999 Junior Pan American Games and has maintained his prominence as the only Jamaican junior athlete to win the 400-meter and 4 x 400-meter relay titles.

While enrolled at Auburn University, Ayre quickly established himself as a collegiate sprint talent under the guidance of Ralph Spry, who also coached Auburn alumnus and-400 meter World Champion Avard Moncur. As a freshman, Ayre won the 2000 SEC 400-meter Indoor title and went on to receive the NCAA Freshman of the year honors. Also in 2000, Ayre and the Jamaican 4 x 400-meter team would win the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. [3] Somewhat hampered by injuries throughout his second year, Ayre regained form late in the summer of 2001 and competed for the Jamaican World Championship team in the 400-meter and 4 × 400 meters relay events. As a junior, he continued his stellar collegiate career receiving multiple All-American honors and went on to compete in the 400-meter and 4 × 400 meters relay events at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. In his final season as a collegiate athlete, Ayre finished as the NCAA 400-meter indoor runner-up and received a record 14 All-American collegiate honors while competing for the Auburn Tigers.

After an outstanding collegiate career, Ayre began his professional career by remaining at Auburn under the coaching guidance of Ralph Spry until 2005. Following a successful 2005 season, Ayre moved on to be coached by 400-meter coaches, Clyde Hart and Michael Ford. [4]

Professional career

Ayre commenced his professional career while still considered a collegiate athlete. However, his first appearance as a professional athlete was at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, DR where he earned a gold medal in the 4 × 400-meters relay. In 2004, Ayre competed at the World Indoor Games where he earned another gold medal in the 4 × 400-meters relay. For Ayre, success continued throughout 2005 as he maintained a top-ten world ranking in the 400-meters contest. Ayre and the Jamaican Men's 4 × 400 m relay squad are the only Jamaican Team in history to defeat the U.S Men's 4 × 400 m team on U.S soil at the 2005 USA versus The World Penn Relays, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [5] After a disappointing 2006 season, Ayre rallied back to win a gold medal at the Central American & Caribbean Games in the 4 × 400-meters relay. [6]

In 2007, Ayre filled the summer with dominating 400-meter performances culminating with the 2007 Jamaican National Championships where on 24 June 2007, he would win the 400-meter title in 45.07s and go on to compete in the 400-meter and 4 × 400-meter relay at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan where he ultimately finished the season with another top-ten world-ranking.

In 2008, Ayre was a member of the Jamaican Olympic team, led by Usain Bolt, that recorded dominating performances in the sprint events at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. While there, Ayre competed in the 400-meter and 4 × 400-meters relay events. [7] Ayre, along with teammates Michael Blackwood, Ricardo Chambers, and Lansford Spence, finished a disappointing eighth place after being favored to win a medal. Ayre won silver medals for Jamaica at the Sydney Olympic Games and Helsinki World Championships. [4]

After athletics

Since retiring from professional competition, Ayre is currently a prolific entrepreneur who devotes his time to coaching Professional & Amateur athlete's, community organizations, Athletics meeting promoter and other professional endeavors. Ayre is currently a professional track coach for Puma. He is also the Director of Athlete Branding with Active Dreamers LLC, a sports apparel company that specializes in marketing NBA licensed products featuring athletes such as LeBron James, Stephen "Steph" Curry and Neymar Jr.

In September 2012, after missing out on a 4th Olympic Games, Ayre introduced Maximum Velocity Performance (MVP) Fitness to his local community in Howard County, Maryland. [8] Maximum Velocity Performance is a fitness organization that provides a broad range of sports and physical fitness services. MVP Fitness offers a variety of programs including sports performance coaching, personal training, speed & agility camps, Corporate Wellness Programs, and group fitness classes.

Ayre is active in the local community and is an honorary coach to the Reservoir High School Track Team and Field Team, where he is known as ‘Coach Sanjay’.

Coaching

Ayre has also established himself as a professional track & field coach. He founded Chase Athletics Track Club in 2013, a USATF sanctioned track & field organization. In 2018, Chase athletes competed in Ocean Breeze Grand Prix in Staten Island, NY. The group had the top two finishes in the men's and women's 300m events. [9] Ayre has also made an impact at the collegiate level by coaching athletes at Howard Community College. He was the men's & women's assistant track & field coach and was responsible for coaching the sprint and hurdle events. In 2013, Ayre led Howard Community College's men's track and field team to its first ever National Title in all of the school's sports history. [10] [11] [12] Ayre is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), USATF Level 1 & 2, IAAF Certified Track & Field Coach, and Global Sports Ambassador for Puma. Ayre has trained Rovane Williams, [13] Andre Clarke, [14] and the Jamaican team at the 2016 Armory Track & Field Invitational. [15]

Personal bests

EventTime (seconds)PlaceDate
200 meters 20.81 Dallas, Texas, United States15 April 2006
300 meters 32.81 Sydney, Australia14 September 2000
400 meters 44.92 Kingston, Jamaica22 June 2002
400 meters (indoor)45.92 Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States11 March 2000

International competition

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventAge
1997Carifta Games Bridgetown, Barbados 400m & 4 × 400 m relay16
1997Junior Pan American Games Havana, Cuba 400m & 4 × 400 m relay16
1998Central American & Caribbean Championships Georgetown, Cayman Islands 400m & 4 × 400 m relay17
1998World Junior Championship Games Annecy, France 400m & 4 × 400 m relay17
1999World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Maebashi, Japan4 × 400 m relay18
1999Carifta Games Fort-de-France, Martinique 400m18
1999Junior Pan American Games Tampa, USA400m & 4 × 400 m relay18
2000Olympic Games Sydney, Australia4 × 400 m relay19
2001World Athletics Championship Games Edmonton, Canada 400m & 4 × 400 m relay20
2002Commonwealth Games Manchester, England400m & 4 × 400 m relay21
2003Pan American Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 400m & 4 × 400 m relay22
2003World Athletics Championship Games Paris, France4 × 400 m relay22
2004World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Budapest, Hungary 4 × 400 m relay23
2004Olympic Games Athens, Greece 4 × 400 m relay23
2005World Athletics Championship Games Helsinki, Finland 4 × 400 m relay24
2006World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Moscow, Russia 400m & 4 × 400 m relay25
2006Central America & Caribbean Championship Games Cartagena, Colombia 400m & 4 × 400 m relay25
2007World Athletics Championship Games Osaka, Japan400m & 4 × 400 m relay26
2008World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Valencia, Spain 400m & 4 × 400 m relay27
2008Olympic Games Beijing, China 400m & 4 × 400 m relay27
2010World Indoor Championship Games Doha, Qatar 4 × 400 m relay29
2011Penn Relays USA vs. The World Philadelphia, USA4 × 400 m relay30

National competition

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventAge
1997JAM Outdoor Jr. Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 1st400m16
1998JAM Outdoor Jr. Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica1st400m17
1999JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica7th400m18
2000JAM Olympic Team TrialsKingston, Jamaica4th400m19
2001JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica3rd400m20
2002JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica2nd400m21
2003JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica4th400m22
2004JAM Olympic Team TrialsKingston, Jamaica5th400m23
2005JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica4th400m24
2006JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica2nd400m25
2007JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica1st400m26
2008JAM Olympic Team TrialsKingston, Jamaica3rd400m27
2009JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica7th400m28
2011JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, JamaicaDNF400m30
2012JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship GamesKingston, Jamaica7th400m31

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merlene Ottey</span> Jamaican-born Slovenian track athlete

Merlene Joyce Ottey is a Jamaican-Slovenian former track and field sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978, and continued to do so for 24 years, before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 2012. She is ranked fourth on the all-time list over 60 metres (indoor), eighth on the all-time list over 100 metres and sixth on the all-time list over 200 metres. She is the current world indoor record holder for 200 metres with 21.87 seconds, set in 1993. She was named Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year 13 times between 1979 and 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allyson Felix</span> American track and field athlete (born 1985)

Allyson Michelle Felix is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 meters later in her career. At 200 meters, Felix is the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time world champion (2005–2009), a two-time Olympic silver medalist, and the 2011 world bronze medalist. At 400 meters, she is the 2015 world champion, 2011 world silver medalist, 2016 Olympic silver medalist, 2017 world bronze medalist, and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist. Across the short distances, Felix is a ten-time U.S. national champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Frater</span> Jamaican sprinter

Michael Frater O.D is a Jamaican retired sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres event. He won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games for the event.

Clive Terrelonge is a Jamaican former track and field athlete and coach. University of Connecticut. Before coaching, he was an accomplished collegiate and professional athlete who specialized in the 800m and 400m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerron Stewart</span> Jamaican sprinter

Kerron Stewart is a retired Jamaican sprinter who specialized in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She is the 2008 Jamaican national champion in the 100 m clocking 10.80s. She defeated World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown in the process and now is the 2008 Summer Olympics silver medalist after she tied with Sherone Simpson in a time of 10.98s. She also earned a bronze medal in the 200 metres at the 2008 Summer Olympics with a time of 22.00s. She was born in Kingston and retired after the 2018 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Wolverines men's track and field</span> Mens track and field team of the University of Michigan

The Michigan Wolverines men's track and field team is the intercollegiate track and field program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Willie James Smith III was an American athlete who was the national champion 400 metres runner in 1979-80, and a gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics in the 4 × 400 m relay.

Ricardo Chambers is a Jamaican track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Longhorns women's track and field</span> American college track and field team

The Texas Longhorns women's track and field program represents the University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I intercollegiate women's track and field competition. The Longhorns competed in the Big 12 Conference through the 2024 season and moved to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) on July 1, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaica at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Jamaica competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21, 2016. This marked its sixteenth Summer Olympic appearance as an independent nation, although it had previously competed in four other editions as a British colony, and as part of the West Indies Federation.

Randy Jenelle Givens is an American former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. She set personal bests of 11.06 seconds for the 100-meter dash and 22.31 seconds for the 200-meter dash. Givens was a 200 m finalist at the 1984 Olympic Games and represented her country at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics. She was the 200 m gold medalist at the 1983 Pan American Games and returned to win a silver medal at the 1987 edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Thompson-Herah</span> Jamaican sprinter (born 1992)

Elaine Thompson-Herah is a Jamaican sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres. Regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time, she is a five-time Olympic champion, the fastest woman alive in the 100 m, and the third fastest ever in the 200 m.

Kendall Baisden is an American track and field sprinter who specializes in the 400-meter dash. She holds a personal record of 50.46 seconds for the distance, set in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar McLeod</span> Jamaican athletics competitor

Omar McLeod is a Jamaican professional hurdler and sprinter competing in the 60 m hurdles and 110 m hurdles. In the latter event, he is the 2016 Olympic champion and 2017 World champion. He was NCAA indoor champion in the 60 m hurdles in 2014 and 2015 and outdoor champion in the 110 m hurdles in 2015; he turned professional after the 2015 collegiate season, forgoing his two remaining years of collegiate eligibility. His personal best in the 110 m hurdles ranks him equal 7th on the world all-time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Norman (sprinter)</span> American sprinter

Michael Arthur Norman Jr. is an American sprinter. He previously held the world best time in the indoor 400 meters at 44.52 seconds. Outdoors, his 43.45, set at the 2019 Mt. SAC Relays, is tied on sixth on the all time list. In 2016, he became the world junior champion in both the 200 meters and 4×100 meter relay. In 2022, he became the world champion in both the 400 meters and 4x400 meter relay.

D'Andre "DeeDee" Hill is an American track and field coach and former athlete. She competed in sprint events, mainly in 100-meter dash. Her personal record in the event was 10.92 seconds. She represented her country over 100 m at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and shared in a gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics, having run in the heats only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathon Allen</span> Jamaican track and field athlete

Nathon Allen is a Jamaican track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events. Allen of St. Jago High School and Twayne Crooks of Kingston College are the two school boys named to represent Jamaica at second staging of the World Relays in Nassau. He won an Olympic silver medal as a member of the Jamaican 4×400 m relay team.

Suziann Reid is an American-Jamaican former track and field sprinter who specialized in the 400-meter dash. She set a personal record of 50.74 seconds for the distance in 1999. She was a silver medalist with the American women's 4 × 400-meter relay team at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics. She was part of the World Championship team twice more, in 2001 and 2005, and helped the United States to silver at the 2002 IAAF World Cup and gold at the 2001 Goodwill Games.

Dominique Blake is a Jamaican track and field athlete. Blake won a gold medal at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games and was accidentally awarded a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was banned for 4+12 years after testing positive for methylhexanamine and returned to athletic competition in 2017.

Charokee Young is a track and field athlete from Jamaica.

References

  1. Miller, Bill (13 June 1999). "PLUS: Track and Field...National Scholastic Championships; Ayre of the Bronx Speeds to Victory". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  2. Staff Reports (13 June 1999). "Sanjay Ayre of the Bronx clocked a nation-leading 46.25 to win..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  3. "2000 Olympic Games" . Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Jamaica Gleaner Online". old.jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  5. Flynn, Sean P. (1 May 2005). "Team Jamaica Has Speed to Burn". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  6. "Jamaica Gleaner Online". old.jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  7. Auburn, University. "Auburn at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games". Auburn University. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  8. Ames, Blair (28 February 2013). "From Olympian to Howard County Personal Trainer". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  9. IrieJam, Radio. "Ayre Athletes Making Waves on US Circuit". Irie Jam Radio. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  10. Metcalf, Andrew (22 January 2013). "Former Jamaican Olympic Sprinter Sets Roots in Howard County". Patch. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  11. National Jr. College Athletic Assoc., NJCAA. "DIII Outdoor Track & Field National Championship". NJCAA. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  12. "2013 NJCAA National Champions-Howard Community College". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  13. "Jamaica Observer Limited". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  14. "Big move forward for Andre Clarke". jamaica-gleaner.com. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  15. "Jamaicans set national record". Caribbean Life News. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2020.