Afia Charles
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 22, 1992 Greenbelt, Maryland |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Antigua and Barbuda |
| Sport | Running |
| Event | 400 m |
| University team | UCF |
Afia Neliah Charles (born July 22, 1992)[1] is a sprinter from Antigua and Barbuda who specializes in the 400 metre dash.
Personal life
[edit]Charles is from Greenbelt, Maryland, United States but her mother Ruperta, was born in Antigua and competed for the nation at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[2][3] As of 2012[update], Charles is 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall.[2] She currently attends the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she competes for the UCF Knights track and field team.[3]
Career
[edit]Charles went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School where she won the 4 × 400 metres relay in the 2008 Championship of America contested at the Penn Relays.[4] In her freshman year she won the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 2011 CARIFTA Games held in Montego Bay, Jamaica; competing for Antigua she set a new personal best time of 54.23 seconds.[2][5] She broke the freshman and school records for the outdoor 400 metres, setting a time of 53.6 seconds and was a member of the 4 × 400 metres relay team that competed at the 2011 NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship.[2] In her sophomore year she set another school record by running 54.17 seconds on her way to winning the gold medal in the 400 meters at the C-USA Indoor Championships.[2] She was coached at UCF by Caryl Smith Gilbert.[3]
In July 2011 she was selected to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the women's 400 metres.[3] The event was held at the Olympic Stadium from 3 to 5 August.[6] To prepare for the Games Charles worked with Dee Dee Trotter, an Olympic gold medalist at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the 4 × 400 metres relay who had qualified for the 2012 United States team and is a friend of Smith Gilbert from their time together at the University of Tennessee.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Athletes- Charles, Afia biography". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "Afia Charles profile". CBS Sports Network. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Burgen, Miranda (11 July 2012). "Charles makes Antigua Olympic roster". Central Florida Future. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ Little, Carl (26 April 2008). "E. Roosevelt Girls Repeat in Quick 4x400 Relay". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ Salvas, Pat (24 April 2011). "Afia Charles Medals at CARIFTA Games in 400 Meters". CBS Sports College Network. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Women's 400m". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
External links
[edit]- Afia Charles at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)
- Afia Charles at Olympics.com
- Afia Charles at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
- 1992 births
- Living people
- American female sprinters
- Antigua and Barbuda female sprinters
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes for Antigua and Barbuda
- University of Central Florida alumni
- American people of Antigua and Barbuda descent
- Sportspeople of Antigua and Barbuda descent
- UCF Knights women's track and field athletes
- People from Greenbelt, Maryland
- Sportspeople from Prince George's County, Maryland
- Sportspeople from Maryland
- Antigua and Barbuda people of American descent
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Antigua and Barbuda
- Olympic female sprinters
- 21st-century American sportswomen