American sprinter Cameron Burrell was born on September 11, 1994, and died on August 9, 2021. In addition to leading the Houston Cougars to victories in the 4 100 meters relay in 2017 and 2018, he was the NCAA Division I champion over 100 meters in 2018.
He competed for the 4 x 100 m relay team of the United States at the World Junior Championships in 2012 and the World Relays in 2019, where the team won gold and silver. Additionally, Burrell led the U.S. 4 x 100 m relay team to gold at the 2018 Athletics World Cup, which was the first of its kind.
He was the son of Olympic gold medalist Leroy Burrell and Olympic gold medalist Michelle Finn-Burrell, who also held the 100-meter world record. He was also Carl Lewis’ godson, a former track and field star. In a time of 9.93 seconds on June 8, 2017, he became the 121st man to break the 10-second barrier over 100 meters.
By one-hundredth of a second, he beat his father’s school record, which was set five years before Cameron was born. A year later, he did it again at the USA Championships.
Early Life
Leroy Burrell, a 100-meter world record holder, and Michelle Finn-Burrell, an Olympic gold medalist, were Burrell’s parents when he was born on September 11, 1994. Joshua and Jaden are his brothers and sisters. Growing up, Cameron Burrell was encircled by sports; His aunt Dawn Burrell won the World Indoor Long Jump title in 2001, adding to the athletic background of his parents.
Carl Lewis, who has known Cameron his entire life, was his father’s teammate and close friend. Despite this, Cameron’s family never pressured him into sports, even though he knew from a young age that he wanted to be a sprinter.
Cameron attended Missouri City, Texas’s Ridge Point High School. He competed at the Lille World Youth Championships in 2011, the Barcelona World Junior Championships in 2012, and the Medelln Pan American Junior Championships in 2013.
Additionally, he developed a close friendship with Elijah Hall, his rival from Morton Ranch High School. In June 2013, Burrell made the decision to follow in his father’s footsteps and enroll at the University of Houston, where his father was a coach.
Burrell winning at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | September 11, 1994 Houston, Texas |
| Died | August 9, 2021 (aged 26) Houston, Texas |
| Employer | Nike and Red Bull |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event(s) |
|
| College team | Houston Cougars (2014–2018) |
| Turned pro | June 2018 |
| Coached by | Leroy Burrell and Carl Lewis |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) |
|
Burrell could only compete outdoors after completing four indoor seasons. He guided the Cougars to a collegiate record in the 4x100m at the NCAA Championships, where they defended their title from the previous year.
After that, he won his first NCAA individual title with two other Cougars in the 100-meter final, finishing second to Elijah Hall and eighth to Mario Burke. Brian Barraza, Burrell’s teammate, fell after leading the steeplechase and finished in 10th place.
In the heats of the US Championships, Burrell set a new personal best of 9.93 and went on to place fifth in the final. He took part in the inaugural Athletics World Cup in London, England, where he was a member of the US 4x100m relay team and helped them win in 38.42 seconds.
He stayed in London for his Diamond League debut at the Anniversary Games, where he finished 9th in the final and 4th in his heat.After that, Burrell went to the NACAC Championships in Toronto and won a bronze medal in the 100-meter race.
Burrell and Elijah Hall signed professional contracts with Nike and Red Bull after their seasons were over.
Death
On August 9, 2021, at the age of 26, Burrell passed away. It was later discovered that he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in a parking garage in Houston, Texas.
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