Tony McQuay (born April 16, 1990) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 meters. He is a member of the 2012 and 2016 United States Olympic teams, winning a silver medal in the 4 × 400 m relay in 2012 and a gold in the same event in 2016. He is also a two time World Champion in this event.

Tony McQuay
McQuay at the 2013 World Championships
Personal information
Born (1990-04-16) April 16, 1990 (age 34)
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight158 lb (72 kg)
Sport
Country United States
SportTrack and field
Event400 meters
College teamUniversity of Florida
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)200 metres: 20.38 (Helsinki 2012)
400 metres: 44.24 (Eugene 2016)
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2012 London 4×400 m relay
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Moscow 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2015 Beijing 4×400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2013 Moscow 400 m
Silver medal – second place 2017 London 4×400 m relay
World Relay Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Nassau 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2015 Nassau 4×400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2017 Nassau 4×400 m relay

Early years

edit

McQuay was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He graduated from Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida, where he ran the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters for the Suncoast Chargers track and field team. He won the FHSAA state championship in the 400 meters as a senior.[1] He also played for the Suncoast Chargers high school football team, and was recognized as the team's most outstanding wide receiver, most improved defensive back, and best all-around player.[1]

College career

edit

McQuay attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and was a member of coach Mike Holloway's Florida Gators track and field team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition.[1] In the 400 meters, McQuay was the 2011 NCAA indoor champion, 2012 NCAA indoor champion, the 2012 outdoor champion, and a two-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) outdoor champion.[2] He won the senior open 400 meters event at the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 44.68 seconds, edging Olympic gold medalist Jeremy Wariner and world champion Greg Nixon.[3]

2012 Olympics

edit

McQuay finished second in the 400 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in the 400 meters on June 24, 2012, qualifying him to run in the 400 meters and 4x400 relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.[4] He finished second in his heat at the London Olympics with a time of 45.48, qualifying him into the semi-finals where he was eliminated after placing fourth. In the 4 × 400 m, he ran the third leg of the race to help his team win silver behind the Bahamians.

2013 World Championships

edit

Tony McQuay finished second in the 400 meters at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, Russia with a personal best time of 44.40 seconds.[5] He was also part of the US 4 x 400 metres team that won gold there.

2015 World Championships

edit

McQuay was part of the US team that won the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

2016 Olympics

edit

McQuay was a member of the U.S. 4 × 400 metres relay team that qualified for the finals with the second fastest time (2:58,38), coming behind Jamaica. In the final, the United States became Olympic champions in a time of 2:57,30, with Jamaica second and Bahamas third.[6] McQuay earned his second Olympic medal. McQuay's 400m race split was 43.5 as reported by announcer Ato Bolden.

2017 World Championships

edit

The United States team including McQuay, finished in second at the 2017 World Championships.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c GatorZone.com, Men's Track & Field, 2012 Roster, Tony McQuay. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  2. ^ USA Track & Field, Athlete Bios, Tony McQuay. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  3. ^ Associated Press, "Allyson Felix, Tony McQuay win titles," ESPN.com (June 25, 2011). Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  4. ^ "Pair of Gators earned spots on Team USA," The Gainesville Sun (June 24, 2012). Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  5. ^ "IAAF: 400 Metres Result - 14th IAAF World Championships - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
  6. ^ "Tony McQuay Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2019-08-10.