Jump to content

Sanjay Ayre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sanjay Ayre
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
SportRunning
Event400 meters
Medal record
Representing  Jamaica
Men's athletics
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 4x400 m relay
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2001 Edmonton 4x400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2003 Paris 4x400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Helsinki 4x400 m relay
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Budapest 4x400 m relay
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2003 Santo Domingo 4x400 m relay
Central American & Caribbean Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Cartagena 4x400 m relay
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Annecy 4x400 m relay
Pan American Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Tampa 400 metres
Gold medal – first place 1999 Tampa 4x400 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Havana 400 metres
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Havana 4x400 m relay
CAC Junior Championships (U20)
Gold medal – first place 1998 George Town 4x400 m relay
CARIFTA Games (U20)
Gold medal – first place 1997 Barbados 4X400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 1999 Martinique 400 metres
National Scholastic Games
Gold medal – first place 1999 Boston 400 metres
National Scholastic Games
Gold medal – first place 1999 Raleigh 400 metres
Jamaican National Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Kingston 400 metres

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.

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]
Event Time (seconds) Place Date
200 meters 20.81 Dallas, Texas, United States 15 April 2006
300 meters 32.81 Sydney, Australia 14 September 2000
400 meters 44.92 Kingston, Jamaica 22 June 2002
400 meters (indoor) 45.92 Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States 11 March 2000

International competition

[edit]
Year Competition Venue Position Event Age
1997 Carifta Games Bridgetown, Barbados 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 16
1997 Junior Pan American Games Havana, Cuba 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 16
1998 Central American & Caribbean Championships Georgetown, Cayman Islands 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 17
1998 World Junior Championship Games Annecy, France 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 17
1999 World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Maebashi, Japan 4 × 400 m relay 18
1999 Carifta Games Fort-de-France, Martinique 400m 18
1999 Junior Pan American Games Tampa, USA 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 18
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 4 × 400 m relay 19
2001 World Athletics Championship Games Edmonton, Canada 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 20
2002 Commonwealth Games Manchester, England 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 21
2003 Pan American Games Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 22
2003 World Athletics Championship Games Paris, France 4 × 400 m relay 22
2004 World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Budapest, Hungary 4 × 400 m relay 23
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 4 × 400 m relay 23
2005 World Athletics Championship Games Helsinki, Finland 4 × 400 m relay 24
2006 World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Moscow, Russia 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 25
2006 Central America & Caribbean Championship Games Cartagena, Colombia 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 25
2007 World Athletics Championship Games Osaka, Japan 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 26
2008 World Indoor Athletics Championship Games Valencia, Spain 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 27
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 400m & 4 × 400 m relay 27
2010 World Indoor Championship Games Doha, Qatar 4 × 400 m relay 29
2011 Penn Relays USA vs. The World Philadelphia, USA 4 × 400 m relay 30

National competition

[edit]
Year Competition Venue Position Event Age
1997 JAM Outdoor Jr. Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 1st 400m 16
1998 JAM Outdoor Jr. Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 1st 400m 17
1999 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 7th 400m 18
2000 JAM Olympic Team Trials Kingston, Jamaica 4th 400m 19
2001 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 3rd 400m 20
2002 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 2nd 400m 21
2003 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 4th 400m 22
2004 JAM Olympic Team Trials Kingston, Jamaica 5th 400m 23
2005 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 4th 400m 24
2006 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 2nd 400m 25
2007 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 1st 400m 26
2008 JAM Olympic Team Trials Kingston, Jamaica 3rd 400m 27
2009 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 7th 400m 28
2011 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica DNF 400m 30
2012 JAM Outdoor Track & Field Championship Games Kingston, Jamaica 7th 400m 31

References

[edit]
  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. ^ a b "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.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sanjay_Ayre&oldid=1242962534"