Bio

Kerron Stewart’s track and field career started when she was twelve years old at the John Mills Primary & Junior High School in Kingston, Jamaica. One of the coaches asked her if she could run, and she answered “Yes.” So, she tried out for track and “blew away all the other girls during training sessions” and “never looked back.” Kerron’s primary school accomplishments earned her a scholarship to go to St. Jago High School, famously known for producing track and field athletes. 

During her first year at St. Jago, Kerron tried running hurdles but found her strength was in the 100 and 400-meter events. In her second year, she continued to focus on the 100 meters and added the 400-meter sprints and 4x400-meter events. In both her first and second year, she won the 100- and 200-meter championships. Kerron’s accomplishments caught the eye of the late ECC’s Track and Field Head Coach Michael Smart who recruited her and offered her a scholarship to Essex County College. She later arrived in the Fall of 2003 and began her legacy.  

In the Fall of 2003, Kerron started training for the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. She recalls “We didn’t have our track to practice. So, we ran in our gym.” During these training sessions, Kerron continued to focus on 100- and 200-meter sprint events. Kerron also stated “These practices were tough. We practiced hard and Coach Smart worked us hard, stressed academics, and believed in us. During her first indoor season, Kerron won the 60 and 200 meters at the 2004 Junior College National Championships and during the outdoor season, she won the 100- and 200-meter championships. Her athletic accomplishments were matched by her academic accomplishments. From Fall 2003 through Spring 2005, she was a Garden State Athletic Conference All-Academic and Region XIX All-Academic honors. She eventually graduated from ECC with an overall GPA of 3.44. These accomplishments earned Kerron a full track and field scholarship at Auburn University.  

During the Fall of 2005 at Auburn University, Kerron began practicing under Track and Field Head Coach Ralph Spry and Assistant Coach Henry Rolle for the 2006 indoor and outdoor seasons. At the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Kerron Steward helped her team, which consisted of four other ECC women’s track and field standouts, win Auburn University’s first-ever NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. In 2007, Kerron earned the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best female collegiate track and field athlete. 

After her standout track and field career at Auburn Kerron, she set her sights on the world track and field stage. She won the 2008 Jamaican national championship in the 100-meter sprint clocking 10.80s which earned her a spot on the National Jamaican Olympic team. During her 2008 Olympic performance, she earned a silver medal in the 100 meters and a bronze medal in the 200 meters sprints. After her Olympic performance, she continued to run for the Jamaican National team and was a member of the 2009 4 x 100-meter relay team which earned a gold medal at the World Track and Field Championship. In the 2012 Olympics, she earned a place on the 4 x 100-meter team earning her a silver medal. Kerron continued to run for the Jamaican National 4 x 100 relay team which participated in the 2009, 2013, and 2015 International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championships earning gold medals each year. She retired after the 2018 season and when asked about her success in track and field, Kerron replied, “I think my proudest moments were the realization that something great is in me and I can accomplish it. It's not always going to be easy, but I can push. There is more to give. There is so much more. Essex taught me that I am a student first and an athlete second. Before then, academics were second, and athletics were first. But when I got there, everybody challenged me to be a student first and an athlete second. So, I would say that's my proudest moment."