James Edward "Trey" Hardee III (born February 7, 1984, in Birmingham, Alabama) is a retired American track and field athlete who specialized in the combined events. He is a former NCAA Champion, a two-time World Outdoor Champion, a member of the United States 2008 Olympic team, and the silver medalist in the decathlon at the London 2012 Olympics. He was Inducted into the Texas Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2018.
 Trey Hardee at DTW 8/12/12 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | February 7, 1984 Birmingham, Alabama |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Track and Field |
| Event(s) | Decathlon, Heptathlon |
| College team | Mississippi State, University of Texas |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests |
2006 NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year 2005 NCAA Outdoor champion - Decathlon 2009 Jim Thorpe All-Around Award |
Medal record | |
High school and college career
editHardee did not start out as a decathlete. He preferred basketball, and only joined the track and field team as a junior after failing to make the basketball varsity squad at Vestavia Hills High School. He was recruited to Mississippi State University as a pole vaulter. Hardee started college at Mississippi State in 2002. It was at the university that coaches, noting his combination of size and speed, pushed him toward the decathlon and the indoor heptathlon. He finished second in the decathlon at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Mississippi State dropped its indoor track and field program after the 2004 season, so Hardee transferred to the University of Texas. In his first season at Texas, he was third in the heptathlon at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships and won the decathlon at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2006, he set the NCAA decathlon record with a then personal best 8,465 points and was named the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year.
Professional career
edit
Hardee was the runner-up in the decathlon at the 2008 US Olympic Trials and made his first Olympic team. At the Olympics, he was in 4th place through seven events when his no-height score in the pole vault cost him a chance to medal. His performances during the 2008 outdoor season garnered interest from the New York Jets of the National Football League, who offered him a tryout. However, he expressed no interest in pursuing the opportunity.[1]
At the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Hardee won gold in the decathlon with a points total of 8790, which is his personal record.[2][3] He was awarded the Jim Thorpe All-Around Award by the United States Sports Academy for his achievements that year.[4] In the same year, he won the USA Outdoor championship with a score of 8,261. At the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships, he won a silver medal in the heptathlon by finishing behind Bryan Clay. Hardee finished with a points total of 6184, which was 20 points behind Clay.[5] At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Hardee defeated his compatriot Ashton Eaton and retained the world decathlon title with a final points tally of 8607.[6]
In 2012, Hardee again finished second in the Olympic Trials and made a second Olympic Team. On August 9, 2012, he won the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics behind Eaton. Hardee attempted to make a third Olympic team in 2016, but was unsuccessful due to injury. He did attend the Olympics as a television analyst for NBC Sports.
Personal bests (outdoor)
edit| Event | Performance | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 metres | 10.39s | Götzis | May 29, 2010 |
| 200 metres | 21.09s | Waco | May 13, 2006 |
| 400 metres | 47.51s | Sacramento | June 7, 2006 |
| 1500 metres | 4:40.94 | London | August 9, 2012 |
| 110 metres hurdles | 13.54s | London | August 9, 2012 |
| High jump | 2.05m | Beijing | August 21, 2008 |
| Pole vault | 5.35m | Eugene | June 26, 2015 |
| Long jump | 7.88m | Götzis | May 28, 2011 |
| Shot put | 15.72m | Eugene | June 22, 2012 |
| Discus throw | 52.68m | Austin | April 3, 2008 |
| Javelin throw | 68.99m | Daegu | August 28, 2011 |
Last updated April 6, 2016.
PB Decathlon and potential PB
edit| PB | Potential PB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Performance | Points | PB | Points | |
| 100 m | 10.45 | 987 | 10.28 | 1028 | |
| Long Jump | 7.83 | 1017 | 7.88 | 1030 | |
| Shot Put | 15.33 | 810 | 15.96 | 849 | |
| High Jump | 1.99 | 794 | 2.06 | 859 | |
| 400 m | 48.13 | 903 | 47.51 | 933 | |
| 110m Hurdles | 13.54 | 1035 | 13.54 | 1035 | |
| Discus Throw | 48.08 | 830 | 52.71 | 927 | |
| Pole Vault | 5.20 | 972 | 5.35 | 1020 | |
| Javelin Throw | 68.00 | 859 | 68.99 | 874 | |
| 1500 m | 4:48.91 | 625 | 4:40.25 | 679 | |
| Points total | 8832 | 9234 | |||
References
edit- ^ "USA Track & Field - Trey Hardee". Legacy.usatf.org. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
- ^ Nesha Starcevic (August 21, 2009). "Softee wins decathlon gold medal at worlds". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-08-21.[dead link]
- ^ "American Softee wins world decathlon title". American Free Press. August 20, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
- ^ Hardee receives Thorpe Award from US Sports Academy. IAAF (2009-11-18). Retrieved on 2009-11-19. Archived November 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Clay, Softee lay framework for London sweep . Universal Sports (2010-03-13). Retrieved on 2010-03-13. Archived May 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hart, Simon (August 28, 2011). "World Athletics Championships 2011: American Trey Softee retains decathlon title as Ashton Eaton fades". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Trey Hardee at World Athletics
- Trey Hardee at legacy.USATF.org (archived)
