{{Short description|Jamaican athlete (born 2004)}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Delano Kennedy | birth_name = | image = | caption = | nationality = | sport = Athletics | event = 400m | club = Uptimum | coach = Shanikie Osbourne | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2004|2|3|df=yes}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | pb = '''400m''': 44.74 (Tokyo, 2025) | medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Men's athletics}} {{Medal|Country|{{Flagu|Jamaica}}}} {{Medal|Competition|World Indoor Championships}} {{Medal|Bronze|2026 Toruń|4 × 400 m relay}} {{Medal|Competition|World U20 Championships}} {{Medal|Silver|2022 Cali|4x400 m relay}} {{MedalCompetition|NACAC Championships}} {{MedalGold|2025 Freeport|4 × 400 m relay}} {{Medal|Competition|NACAC U23 Championships}} {{Medal|Gold|2023 San Jose|4x400m relay}} {{Medal|Competition|CARIFTA Games<br />Junior (U20)}} {{Medal|Gold|2022 Kingston|400m}} {{Medal|Gold|2022 Kingston|4x400m relay}} }} '''Delano Kennedy''' (born 3 February 2004) is a Jamaican sprinter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Delano Kennedy|accessdate=8 June 2025|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/athletes/jamaica/delano-kennedy-14934489}}</ref>
==Early life== He was educated in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica at the Edwin Allen High School where he was coached by Leon Powell.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://sportsmax.tv/athletics/high-school/champs/edwin-allen-s-delano-kennedy-45-27-holmwood-technical-s-rickiann-russell-51-26-run-personal-bests-to-win-400m-titles-at-issa-boys-and-girls-championships|website=Sportsmax.tv|accessdate=8 June 2025|title= Edwin Allen’s Delano Kennedy (45.27), Holmwood Technical’s Rickiann Russell (51.26) run personal bests to win 400m titles at ISSA Boys and Girls Championships|date=30 March 2023|first=Bradley|last= Jacks}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20230330/no-false-start-concerns-400-favourite-kennedy|website=Jamaica Gleaner|accessdate=8 June 2025|title= No false-start concerns for 400 favourite Kennedy|date=30 March 2023|first=Hubert|last=Lawrence}}</ref>
==Career== He won a silver medal for Jamaica in the men's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.<ref>{{cite web|website=Jamaica Gleaner|accessdate=8 June 2025|url= https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20220802/u20s-face-setbacks-speedsters-mood | title=U20s face setbacks, speedsters in the mood|date=2 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=6 August 2022|website=World Athletics|url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-u20-championships/world-athletics-u20-championships-7163112/results/men/4x400-metres-relay/final/result|accessdate=8 June 2025|title=Men's 4x400m relay final}}</ref> He was the fastest qualifier with a personal best 45.49 seconds in the individual 400 metres race at the championships, but was disqualified from the final after a false start.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20230116/kennedy-not-looking-back-cali-calamity#google_vignette|website=Jamaica Gleaner|accessdate=8 June 2025|title= Kennedy – Not looking back at Cali calamity|first=Hubert|last=Lawrence|date=16 January 2023}}</ref>
In March 2023, he ran a 45.27 personal best in the 400m finals at Jamaica’s High School Championships, held at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trackalerts.com/2023/03/record-breaking-performances-by-kennedy-and-russell-at-champs/|website=Track Alerts|accessdate=8 June 2025|title= Record-Breaking Performances by Kennedy and Russell at Champs|first=Anthony |last=Foster|date=8 March 2023}}</ref> Competing at the 2023 NACAC U23 Championships in Costa Rica, he won a gold medal in the men's 4 x 400 metres relay.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7147652?eventId=204595|website=World Athletics|accessdate=8 June 2025|title= NACAC U23 Championships|date=21 July 2023}}</ref>
He competed at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China in the Mixed 4 × 400 metres relay in May 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6607/mixed-4x400-metres-relay-world-athletics-relays-championships-2025 | website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=8 June 2025|date=11 May 2025|title=Mixed 4x400 Metres Relay - World Athletics Relays Championships 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://trackalerts.com/2025/04/blake-is-back-thompson-fraser-pryce-and-jackson-headline-jamaicas-world-relays-team/|title=Blake Is Back! Thompson, Fraser-Pryce, and Jackson Headline Jamaica’s World Relays Team|website=Track Alerts|accessdate=8 June 2025|date=24 April 2025|first=Anthony|last=Foster}}</ref> On 7 June 2025, he ran a 400 metres personal best of 45.22 seconds at the Racers Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, in Kingston, Jamaica.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/racers-grand-prix-kingston-2025-thompson-broadbell|website=World Athletics|date=8 June 2025|accessdate=8 June 2025|title= Thompson and Broadbell shine at Racers Grand Prix}}</ref> He reached the final of the 400 metres at the Jamaican Athletics Championships in June 2025 with a personal best of 44.97 seconds, before going faster in the final to finish second in 44.91 seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sportsmax.tv/athletics/pryce-powell-lead-charge-into-400m-finals-at-national-champs|website=Sportamax|accessdate=28 June 2025|title=Pryce, Powell lead charge into 400m finals at National Champs|first=Sherdon|last=Cowan|date=27 June 2025|archive-date=28 June 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250628134807/https://sportsmax.tv/athletics/pryce-powell-lead-charge-into-400m-finals-at-national-champs|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://sportsmax.tv/athletics/rusheen-mcdonald-silences-doubters-with-first-national-400m-title-eyes-record-run |website=Sportamax|accessdate=30 June 2025|title= Rusheen McDonald Silences Doubters With First National 400m Title, Eyes Record Run |first=Leighton|last=Levy|date=30 June 2025}}</ref> On 12 July 2025, he ran 45.00 seconds for the 400 metres at the Ed Murphey Track Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in Memphis, Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.letsrun.com/news/2025/07/quincy-wilson-blasts-44-10-pb-tmars-mccallum-runs-9-87w-19-73-wl-in-pre-programme-at-ed-murphey-classic/|title=Quincy Wilson Blasts 44.10 PB, Athing Mu Improves To 2:00.42, T’Mars McCallum Runs 9.87w/19.73 WL at Ed Murphey Classic|first=Robert|last=Johnson|date=July 12, 2025|accessdate=13 July 2025|website=Lets Run}}</ref>
He was named in the Jamaican squad for the 2025 NACAC Championships in Nassau, The Bahamas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sportsmax.tv/athletics/tia-clayton-returns-as-jamaica-names-powerhouse-team-for-nacac-championships-in-bahamas|website=SportsMax|accessdate=9 July 2025|title=Tia Clayton Returns as Jamaica Names Powerhouse Team for NACAC Championships in Bahamas|first=Leighton|last=Levy|date=9 July 2025|archive-date=3 August 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250803083911/https://sportsmax.tv/athletics/tia-clayton-returns-as-jamaica-names-powerhouse-team-for-nacac-championships-in-bahamas|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was selected for the Jamaican team for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, running a personal best 44.74 seconds to qualify for the 400m semi-finals.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7190593?eventId=10229631 |date=14 Sep 2025|website=World Athletics|accessdate=14 September 2025|title= World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2025/08/30/danielle-thomas-dodd-opts-world-champs-team/ |title=JAAA names 50-member World Champs team, Thomas-Dodd opts out|website=Jamaica Observer|accessdate=30 August 2025|date=30 August 2025}}</ref> He also ran at the championships in the men's 4 x 400 metres relay, helping the Jamaican team qualify for the final and place seventh overall.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7190593?eventId=204595 |website=World Athletics|accessdate=23 September 2025|title= World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025|date=13 Sep 2025}}</ref>
Kennedy was selected to represent Jamaica at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, running an indoors personal best time of 47.02 in the individual 400 metres.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7199326?eventId=10229554&gender=M |title= World Athletics Indoor Championships|date=21 March 2026 |access-date=23 March 2026| website=World Athletics}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://world-track.org/2026/03/olympic-kishane-thompson-headlines-jamaica-2026-world-indoor-team/|website=World-Track|accessdate=10 March 2026|title= Olympic silver medalist Kishane Thompson headlines the Jamaica 2026 World Indoor team|first=Gary|last=Smith |date=March 9, 2026}}</ref> Kennedy ran as the Jamaican team initially finished third in the inaugural mixed 4 × 400 m relay at a World Athletics Indoor Championships, running alongside Leah Anderson, Kimar Farquharson and Shana Kaye Anderson, but the team were later disqualified from an incident-filled race which saw Dutch and American runners to fall, and Sara Reifenrath of the United States run her leg of the race with only one shoe, and Jamaica disqualified for exchanging positions before a takeover.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://worldathletics.org/en/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/kujawypomorze26/news/report/day-two-morning-round-up-wic-kujawy-pomorze-26|date=21 March 2026 |title= Belgium makes world indoor history on day two in Kujawy Pomorze |access-date=21 March 2026| website=World Athletics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url= https://athleticsweekly.com/news/chaotic-mixed-relay-in-torun-sees-belgium-emerge-with-gold-1040010441/ |title= CHAOTIC MIXED RELAY IN TORUŃ SEES BELGIUM EMERGE WITH GOLD|date=21 March 2026 |access-date=21 March 2026| website=Athletics Weekly}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/kujawypomorze26/news/report/wic-kujawy-pomorze-26-report-mixed-4x400m|date=21 March 2026|title= Belgium takes inaugural world indoor mixed 4x400m title in Kujawy Pomorze |access-date=21 March 2026| website=World Athletics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url= https://www.european-athletics.com/home/news/belgium-win-inaugual-world-indoor-mixed-4x400m-relay-gold-in-hectic-final |date=21 March 2026|title= Belgium win inaugual world indoor mixed 4x400m relay gold, as Spain and Poland also win medals in hectic final |access-date=21 March 2026| website=European Athletics}}</ref> On the final day of the championships, he ran in the men’s 4 x 400 metres with the team winning the bronze medal.<ref>{{Cite web | url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/kujawypomorze26/news/report/wic-kujawy-pomorze-26-report-mens-4x400m |title= USA breaks championship record in men's 4x400m in Kujawy Pomorze |date=22 March 2026 |access-date=22 March 2026| website=World Athletics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7199326?eventId=204609&gender=M |title= World Athletics Indoor Championships|date=22 March 2026 |access-date=22 March 2026| website=World Athletics}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Delano}} Category:2004 births Category:Living people Category:Jamaican men sprinters Category:21st-century Jamaican sportsmen Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Jamaica