ASU's Henry, Team USA win 4x400m gold at Pan Am Juniors

William Henry, a rising sophomore with the Arizona State University track and field program, represented Team USA at the 2011 Pan Am Junior Championships at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Fla., over the weekend with the Sun Devil sprinter helping the men’s 4x400m relay team win the gold medal in the meet for athletes age 16-19. Henry, the national runner-up at the USATF Junior Championships in June, also competed in the 400m dash and placed fourth overall.

In Sunday’s final race, the U.S. team of Henry, Clayton Gravesande, Davelle Sanders and Ronell Mance combined to run 3:08.20 to win the gold medal in the 4x400m relay and giving Team USA its 26th gold medal of the meet. Henry ran the second leg of the race after Gravesande opened with both men putting the U.S. well ahead as the Americans finished ahead of runner-up Trinidad and Tobago by over four seconds (3:13.27).

On the first day of competition held July 22, Henry opened up the competition by running 46.90 to win his heat of the preliminary round and advance to the finals with the second-fastest time in qualifying. In the finals later that day, Henry clocked a time of 46.80 and finished fourth overall, just outside of the medals.

With the relay win, Henry is fourth Sun Devil to capture a gold medal in the junior meet since 2005, joining Ryan Whiting (shot put and discus in 2005), Sarah Stevens (shot put in 2005) and Anna Jelmini (shot put in 2009) on the winner's list. Since the 2005 meet, ASU athletes have earned five gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal. The runners-up included Jelmini (discus), Jordan Clarke (shot put) and Christabel Nettey (long jump for Canada) in 2009 while bronze was earned by Kauren Tarver in the women's steeplechase in 2007.

Overall, the U.S. team brought home 60 medals, including 26 gold (14 men, 12 women), 22 silver (13 men, nine women) and 12 bronze (four men, eight women).

2011 Pan Am Junior Championships
Miramar, Fla.
Men’s 400m Dash - Preliminary (July 22)
2. William Henry (USA) - 46.90

Men’s 400m Dash - Final (July 22)
4. William Henry (USA) - 46.80

Men’s 4x400m Relay - Final (July 24)
1. United States (Gravesande, Henry, Sanders, Mance) - 3:08.20