Gwendolyn Denise Berry is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the hammer throw. On 8 June 2018, her mark of 77.78 m (255 ft. 2 in) ranks her #6 on the all-time list. She also holds the world record in the weight throw with a mark of 25.60 m (83 ft. 11+3⁄4 in) set in March 2017.
She is a three-time national champion in the weight throw at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She was the gold medalist in the hammer at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival. She is also the 2019 Pan American Games Champion.
What is Gwen Berry Famous For?
- Being an American track and field athlete who specializes in the hammer throw.
- Three-time national champion in the weight throw at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
- Gold medalist in the hammer at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival.
- 2019 Pan American Games Champion.
Source: @wikipedia
Where is Gwen Berry For?
Gwendolyn Denise Berry was born on 29 June 1989. His birthplace is St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. She was born to his father, Michael Berry, and his mother, Laura Hayes. She is one of four children as she has two brothers, Davon and Michael, as well as one sister, Quincy. She attended McCluer High School. She began studying for a degree in psychology and criminal justice at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2007. She took up throwing events for the Southern Illinois University Salukis collegiate team and came fourth within the hammer at the 2008 USA Junior Championships. She holds American nationality. She belongs to the black ethnicity. Her religion is Christianity. Her horoscope sign is Taurus.
Gwen Berry Career
- She began her professional career after graduation. In the beginning, she focused on weight throw in the indoor and hammer throws in the outdoor season. At the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she ranked sixth.
- After her hammer throw best of 71.95m in 2012, she got a chance to enter the 2012 US Olympic trails. By then, she was ranked second after Jessica Cosby.
- Although she could not perform well and end as seventh, she was approached by New York Athletic Club who encouraged her to join them and remain in the sport.
- At the 2013 USA Indoors, he finally secured her first national title, maintaining the 2014 and 2016.
- In the 2014 Pan Am Games, she came away with a gold medal in a season’s best of 72.04 m (236 ft. 4 in) and beat three-time world champion Yipsi Moreno of Cuba, who had been an inspiration to her throughout her career. She enjoyed her highest world ranking that season, placing 17th overall.
- She skipped the 2015 indoor season and again competed on the circuit, placing tenth in the 2015 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge final standings (second only to Amanda Bingson among Americans). At the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she cleared seventy metres for the first time nationally, but strong performances by Campbell, DeAnna Price, and Bingson left her in fifth place overall.
- Records and Achievements
- Her performance truly shined in 2016. She won four straight games with throws over 24 meters. She ranked number one for that season with the best of 75.11m. However, performances from March to June 2016 were annulled due to violation of anti-doping procedues. It was not a performance-enhancing drug but a prescribed medications inhaler, but unfortunately, the substance was prohibited by the rules.
- She has a consistent hammer throw beyond 70 meters. She also holds the national record and North American record throw of 76.31 meters at the Tuscan Elite Classic.
- Similarly, she was placed second in hammer behind Team USA teammates Amber Campbell, ahead of DeAnna Price at the 2016 Olympic Trials, and represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
- She currently holds a world record in the weight throw with a 25.6m, a record that she set in March 2017.
- As the years and training went on, she competed in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, where Gwen won the gold medal for the hammer throw.
Controversies
- In 2019, during the award ceremony of the Pan American Games, Berry raised her fist at the end of the Star-Spangled Banner in protest against injustice in America to Black Americans and also voiced that it’s the president who’s making it worse.
- Later she was reprimanded and placed on probation for 12 months by the International Olympic Committee, prohibiting her from protesting for a year.
- However, this act of courage and humanity made her lose her sponsorships, and it is estimated that she lost about $50,000.
- Through all the hardship and being reprimanded from the sport, She didn’t lose her spirit. After her ban has been lifted, she is training harder than ever and continuing her Track and Field Career.
Gwen Berry Husband
Looking at his personal life, she maintains her personal life private. But as of sources, at the age of 15, she gave birth to her son, Derrick where the name of her son’s father is unknown. Any updates on her personal life will be updated here.
Gwen Berry Height and Weight
Gwen Berry stands at a height of 1.78m i.e. 5 feet and 10 inches tall. She has a bodyweight of 88kg. She has an athletic body build. Her eye color and hair color are black. Her sexual orientation is straight.
Gwen Berry Net Worth and Salary
Gwen Berry earns from her professional career as a track and field. Her income is from contracts, salaries, bonuses, and endorsements. As of 2021, her estimated net worth is around $1 million-$5 million.
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