ABOUT DEON
DEON LENDORE
28 October 1992 – 10 January 2022
Deon Christopher Lendore was born in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago on 28 October 1992 to Chrispina Edmund and Cipriani Lendore.
He attended Arima Boys’ Government School, where he did well academically. He performed well in the Trinidad and Tobago high school entrance exams, which awarded him entry into the prestigious Queen’s Royal College.
Although he began running only at the age of 15, Deon Lendore accomplished running feats some athletes spend their entire careers working for. Lendore said later in an interview with his school newspaper that the opportunities he had been given on the track inspired him to help underprivileged kids follow their track dreams, just as he did:
“I would like to help kids in Trinidad and Tobago who may not have the money to participate in sports but may have the potential to be good. A single mom raised me, and we didn’t have that much money, so I would like to help kids like that.”
Deon Lendore died in an automobile accident on 10 January 2022. He left behind a legacy inside and outside of track and field through his once-in-a-lifetime talents and deep connections worldwide. Deon was 29 years old.
U20 Track & Field Career
Lendore played soccer while attending Queen’s Royal College. After beating the other competitors in a local track meet, his coach encouraged him to focus on track and field instead of soccer—advice that changed the trajectory of his life.
He competed in the 400m in the 2011 CARIFTA Games and placed second to Kirani James, which piqued the interest of colleges in the United States. Deon visited Alabama, Auburn, and Texas A&M. He immediately fell in love with Texas A&M and did not visit any other schools after that.
► U20 Performance Records
Texas A&M Career
Lendore racked up numerous titles and records during his career at Texas A&M from 2012 – 2015. In 2014, Texas A&M Head Coach Pat Henry called Deon “the best quarter-miler in the country” after Lendore won the NCAA Indoor title. Texas A&M Assistant Coach Alleyne Francique said Lendore’s discipline and determination helped transform him “into the leader he is today.”
► Collegiate Performance Records
Bowerman Award
In 2014, Deon Lendore was unbeaten in NCAA track and field and became the first and so far the only Caribbean athlete to win the Bowerman Award (given to the most outstanding NCAA Division 1 male and female track and field athletes).
That year Lendore put together one of the most dominant collegiate campaigns ever. He ran in eight 400-meter finals in 2014, winning them all. His 45.03 was the fastest indoor time in the world that year, and his 44.36 outdoor time led the NCAA. In addition to indoor and outdoor national titles in the 400, he anchored the winning 4×400 meters relay and the runner-up 4×100 at outdoor nationals.
International Career
Deon Lendore’s first international event was the 2008 CARIFTA Games in the Cayman Islands. In 2009, he represented Trinidad and Tobago at the World Youth Championships. He was also part of the Trinidad and Tobago 4 x 400m relay team that won a silver medal at the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. In 2010, he competed in the World Athletics U20 Championships.
Lendore won a silver medal in the 400 meters at the 2011 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Miramar, Florida. He was also part of the Trinidad and Tobago 4 × 400m relay team that claimed the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He ran the final leg of that relay and held off Briton Martyn Rooney. Lendore was part of the Trinidad and Tobago 4 × 400m relay team that placed second at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, China. Lendore competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was on the podium for the bronze medal in the 400 meters at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He missed the 2017 World Championships.
In 2018, Lendore won a bronze medal in the 400m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. He was part of the Trinidad and Tobago 4 × 400 meters relay team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He was part of the Trinidad and Tobago 4 × 400m relay that won gold at the 2019 IAAF World Relays in Yokohama, Japan, and the 2019 Pan American Games.
Lendore competed at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, where he reached the semi-finals of the 400 meters and was part of the Trinidad and Tobago team that finished eighth in the 4 × 400m relay.
► Professional Performance Records
