Bert Cameron

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Bert Cameron

| nationality = Jamaican

| sport = Running

| event = 400 meters

| club =

| collegeteam = UTEP Miners

| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1959|11|16|df=y}}

| birth_place =Spanish Town, Saint Catherine Parish

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country| {{JAM}} }}

}}

Bertland Cameron (born 16 November 1959) is a retired Jamaican sprinter who mainly competed over 400 metres. He represented Jamaica at three consecutive editions of the Summer Olympics. Cameron won the 400 m title at the first World Championships in Athletics. He was also the 1982 Commonwealth Games champion{{Cite web |url=http://www.thecgf.com/content/12-08-07.asp |title=Commonwealth Games Federation - Our People |access-date=24 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305033142/http://www.thecgf.com/content/12-08-07.asp |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=dead }} in the event and won a number of gold medals at regional competitions. He helped the Jamaican runners to a silver medal in the 4×400 metres relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Cameron carried the Jamaican flag at the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. He was chosen as the Jamaica Sportsperson of the year three times consecutively from 1981 to 1983.Foster, Anthony (2009-11-13). [http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20091113/sports/sports3.html Bert Cameron no longer with Wolmer's - But coach insists he was not forced out] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117102124/http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20091113/sports/sports3.html |date=17 November 2009 }}. The Jamaica Star. Retrieved on 2010-11-07. He is currently a coach in Jamaica.

Career

Born in Spanish Town, Saint Catherine Parish, his first medal on the international stage came at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, where he helped Jamaica to a 4 x 400 m relay silver medal behind Kenya.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/cg.htm Commonwealth Games]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-07. His first Olympic appearance soon followed and he reached the quarter-finals of the 400 m and also ran in the relay.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418005356/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/bert-cameron-1.html Bert Cameron]. Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2010-11-07. He was schooled in the United States on a sports scholarship and won both the NCAA 400 m titles indoors and outdoors in 1980 and 1981, and he went on to obtain a third outdoor title in 1983 for the UTEP Miners.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/ncaai.htm NCAA Division I Indoor Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-07.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/nc/ncaa.htm NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-07. Cameron represented the Americas at the 1981 IAAF World Cup and came away with the bronze medal in both the individual and relay events.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/wp.htm IAAF World Cup]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-07. He returned to the Commonwealth stage for the 1982 Games and he became the 400 m champion.

Cameron won the 400 m at the inaugural World Championships in 1983. He had a good run in the 1984 Olympic semi-final, but halfway through the race grabbed his leg as a result of picking up a muscle injury. However, in one of the great comebacks of all time he miraculously managed to start running again and qualified for the final. Unfortunately his injury was such that he was not able to take his place in the final. He competed at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics but failed to defend his title, being eliminated in the semi-finals. He helped the Jamaican relay team to sixth place in the final. Four years after his injury-battling run, he ran at the 1988 Summer Olympics and helped win a silver medal in 4 x 400 metres relay.

Outside of his global appearances for Jamaica, he enjoyed success at regional level. He won the 400 m at the 1981 Central American and Caribbean Championships and followed this with another gold medal at the 1982 CAC Games. He returned to the CAC Championships in 1985 and won the silver medal behind Cuba's Roberto Hernández.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/cacc.htm Central American and Caribbean Championships (Men)]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-07.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/cacg.htm Central American and Caribbean Games]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-07. At the 1987 Pan American Games, he beat the Cuban but again left with the silver medal as Raymond Pierre took the title.[http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/pag.htm Pan American Games]. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-11-07.

After retiring from running, he became a coach in Kingston, Jamaica. He took on Jermaine Gonzales and his charge broke the 400 m Jamaican record in 2010. He decided to start working with Gonzales within Glen Mills' Racers Track Club that year.Foster, Anthony (2010-10-31). [http://www.trackalerts.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2396:berts-presence-at-racers-a-big-plus&catid=3806:lead-stories&Itemid=82 Bert’s presence at Racers a big plus]. Track Alerts. Retrieved on 2010-11-07.

International competitions

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{JAM}}
rowspan=3\|1978 \|Central American and Caribbean Games \|Medellín, Colombia \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:03.76
rowspan=2\|Commonwealth Games \|rowspan=2\|Edmonton, Canada \|17th (qf) \|400 m \|47.20
bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:04.00
rowspan=2\|1979 \|rowspan=2\|Pan American Games \|rowspan=2\|San Juan, Puerto Rico \|4th \|400 m \|45.97
bgcolor=silver\|2nd \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:04.7
rowspan=2\|1980 \|rowspan=2\|Olympic Games \|rowspan=2\|Moscow, Soviet Union \|26th (q) \|400 m \|47.31
– \|4 × 400 m relay \|DNF
rowspan=2\|1981 \|rowspan=2\|Central American and Caribbean Championships \|rowspan=2\|Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep. \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|400 m \|45.05
bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:06.95
rowspan=3\|1982 \|rowspan=2\|Central American and Caribbean Games \|rowspan=2\|Havana, Havana \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|400 m \|45.10
bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:04.78
Commonwealth Games \|Brisbane, Australia \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|400 m \|45.89
1983 \|World Championships \|Helsinki, Finland \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|400 m \|45.05
1984 \|Olympic Games \|Los Angeles, United States \|4th (sf) \|400 m \|45.10¹
1985 \|Central American and Caribbean Championships \|Nassau, Bahamas \|bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|400 m \|45.44
rowspan=3\|1987 \|Pan American Games \|Indianapolis, United States \|bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|400 m \|44.72
rowspan=2\|World Championships \|rowspan=2\|Rome, Italy \|9th (sf) \|400 m \|45.19
6th \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:04.53
rowspan=2\|1988 \|rowspan=2\|Olympic Games \|rowspan=2\|Seoul, South Korea \|6th \|400 m \|44.94
bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|4 × 400 m relay \|3:00.30
1989 \|World Indoor Championships \|Budapest, Hungary \|12th (sf) \|400 m \|47.78

colspan="6"|Representing {{JAM}}

rowspan=3|1978

|Central American and Caribbean Games

|Medellín, Colombia

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|4 × 400 m relay

|3:03.76

rowspan=2|Commonwealth Games

|rowspan=2|Edmonton, Canada

|17th (qf)

|400 m

|47.20

bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|4 × 400 m relay

|3:04.00

rowspan=2|1979

|rowspan=2|Pan American Games

|rowspan=2|San Juan, Puerto Rico

|4th

|400 m

|45.97

bgcolor=silver|2nd

|4 × 400 m relay

|3:04.7

rowspan=2|1980

|rowspan=2|Olympic Games

|rowspan=2|Moscow, Soviet Union

|26th (q)

|400 m

|47.31

–

|4 × 400 m relay

|DNF

rowspan=2|1981

|rowspan=2|Central American and Caribbean Championships

|rowspan=2|Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep.

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|400 m

|45.05

bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|4 × 400 m relay

|3:06.95

rowspan=3|1982

|rowspan=2|Central American and Caribbean Games

|rowspan=2|Havana, Havana

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|400 m

|45.10

bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|4 × 400 m relay

|3:04.78

Commonwealth Games

|Brisbane, Australia

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|400 m

|45.89

1983

|World Championships

|Helsinki, Finland

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|400 m

|45.05

1984

|Olympic Games

|Los Angeles, United States

|4th (sf)

|400 m

|45.10¹

1985

|Central American and Caribbean Championships

|Nassau, Bahamas

|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|400 m

|45.44

rowspan=3|1987

|Pan American Games

|Indianapolis, United States

|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|400 m

|44.72

rowspan=2|World Championships

|rowspan=2|Rome, Italy

|9th (sf)

|400 m

|45.19

6th

|4 × 400 m relay

|3:04.53

rowspan=2|1988

|rowspan=2|Olympic Games

|rowspan=2|Seoul, South Korea

|6th

|400 m

|44.94

bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|4 × 400 m relay

|3:00.30

1989

|World Indoor Championships

|Budapest, Hungary

|12th (sf)

|400 m

|47.78

¹Did not start in the final

References

External links

{{World Athletics}}
{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/bert-cameron-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418005356/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ca/bert-cameron-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-04-18 |title=Bert Cameron}}

Category:1959 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Spanish Town

Category:Athletes from Saint Catherine Parish

Category:Jamaican male sprinters

Category:Olympic athletes for Jamaica

Category:Olympic silver medalists for Jamaica

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics

Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Jamaica

Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Jamaica