Germaine Mason: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Jamaican-British athlete (1983–2017)}}

'''Germaine Mason''' (born [[January 20]], [[1983]] in [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]]) is a [[Jamaica]]n born [[athletics (track and field)|athlete]] competing in [[high jump]]. In 2006 he switched sporting allegiances and now represents the [[United Kingdom]].

{{EngvarB|date=April 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image =Germaine_Mason.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Mason in 2008 Summer Olympics

| nationality = British/Jamaican

| sport = [[Track and field]]

| event = High jump

| club = [[Birchfield Harriers]]

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1983|1|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], Jamaica

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|4|20|1983|1|20|df=y}}

| death_place = Kingston, Jamaica

| height = 195 cm

| weight = 80 kg

| pb =

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Sport|Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}

{{Medal|Country|{{GBR2}}}}

{{Medal|Competition|Olympic Games}}

{{Medal|Silver|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|High jump]]}}

{{Medal|Country|{{JAM}}}}

{{Medal|Competition|World Junior Championships}}

{{Medal|Silver|[[2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics|2000 Chile]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Bronze|[[2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics|2002 Kingston]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Competition|World Indoor Championships}}

{{Medal|Bronze|[[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2004 Budapest]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Competition|[[Pan American Games]]}}

{{Medal|Gold|[[Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games|2003 Santo Domingo]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Competition|[[Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|CAC Junior Championships]] (U20)}}

{{Medal|Gold|[[2002 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|2002 Bridgetown]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Gold|[[2000 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|2000 San Juan]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Competition|[[CARIFTA Games]]<br>Junior (U20)}}

{{Medal|Gold|[[2000 CARIFTA Games|2000 St. George's]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Silver|[[2002 CARIFTA Games|2002 Nassau]]|High jump}}

{{Medal|Competition|[[CARIFTA Games]]<br>Youth (U17)}}

{{Medal|Gold|[[1999 CARIFTA Games|1999 Fort-de-France]]|High jump}}

}}

'''Germaine Mason''' (20 January 1983 – 20 April 2017) was a Jamaican-born [[track and field]] athlete competing in [[high jump]]. In 2006, he switched sporting allegiance, and then represented Great Britain. As a Great Britain competitor, he won the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

He won silver and bronze medals at the World Junior Championships in 2000 and 2002 respectively, the latter event held in his hometown of Kingston. His first medal at senior level came at the [[2003 Pan American Games]] in [[Santo Domingo]], when he won a gold medal, having achieved a personal best jump of 2.34 metres. He finished fifth at the World Championships the same year.

== Biography ==

The following seasons saw him drop to 2.25m (2004) and 2.27m (2005), but 2.25 metres was enough to secure a bronze medal at the [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships]]. The medal was won jointly with [[Jaroslav Bába]] and [[Ştefan Vasilache]].

Mason won silver and bronze medals at the World Junior Championships in 2000 and 2002 respectively, the latter event held in his hometown of Kingston. His first medal at senior level came at the [[2003 Pan American Games]] in [[Santo Domingo]], when he won a gold medal, having achieved a personal best jump of 2.34 metres. He finished fifth at the World Championships the same year.

The following seasons saw him drop to 2.25 m (2004) and 2.27 m (2005), but 2.25 m was enough to win a bronze medal at the [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships]]. The medal was won jointly with [[Jaroslav Bába]] and [[Ştefan Vasilache]].

He is coached by Sue Humphrey, who also coached Charles Austin to an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mason was eligible to represent Great Britain because his father David was born in London. Mason's mother persuaded him to switch allegiance, and Mason's change in nationality was ratified by athletics' governing body, the [[IAAF]], in 2006.<ref>[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ma/germaine-mason-1.html Germain Mason] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028070302/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ma/germaine-mason-1.html |date=28 October 2014 }}. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-02-01.</ref>

As of 31st July he is ranked =17th in the World.

==External link==

*{{iaaf name|id=176732|name=Germaine Mason}}

Mason won a silver medal for Great Britain at the [[2008 Summer Olympics|Beijing Olympics]] on 19 August 2008. He equalled his personal best of 2.34 m, beaten only by Russia's [[Andrey Silnov]] with 2.36 m. It was Great Britain's first track and field medal of the games.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/aug/19/olympics2008.olympicsathletics4|title=Olympics: Britain's Mason takes high jump silver|last1=Staff|last2=agencies|date=19 August 2008|access-date=22 April 2017|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>

[[Category:1983 births|Mason, Germaine]]

[[Category:Living people|Mason, Germaine]]

[[Category:High jumpers|Mason, Germaine]]

[[Category:Jamaican athletes|Mason, Germaine]]

[[Category:British athletes|Mason, Germaine]]

Mason became the [[List of British champions in high jump|British high jump champion]] after winning the [[British Athletics Championships]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=13 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=13 July 2025}}</ref>

{{UK-athletics-bio-stub}}

== Death ==

Mason died in a motorbike accident on 20 April 2017 at the age of 34. Upon returning from a [[soca music|soca]] party he was riding his motorbike when he crashed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/39657369|title=Germaine Mason: Former GB high jumper, 34, dies in Jamaica motorbike crash|last=Keogh|first=Frank|date=20 April 2017|website=bbc.com|access-date=20 April 2017}}</ref>

His funeral was held at the Hagley Park Seventh-day Adventist Church in [[Kingston, Jamaica]]. His friend [[Usain Bolt]] was a [[pallbearer]] and dug the grave of Mason.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reuters.com/article/csports-us-athletics-bolt-idCAKBN18Z1UC-OCASP|title=Friend's death hangs heavy over Bolt's final Jamaica run|last=Raynor|first=Kayon|website=[[Reuters]]|access-date=2023-06-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bet.com/article/yzuz40/usain-bolt-broke-down-in-tears-at-germaine-mason-s-funeral|title=Usain Bolt Broke Down in Tears at the Funeral of High Jumper Germaine Mason|date=2017-05-22|website=[[BET]]|access-date=2023-06-20}}</ref>

== Achievements ==

{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes|class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size: 90%;}}

|-

!bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="6"|Representing {{JAM}}

|-

|1999

|[[1999 CARIFTA Games|CARIFTA Games (U17)]]

|[[Fort-de-France]], Martinique

|bgcolor="gold"|1st

|high jump

|2.03 m

|-

|rowspan=3|2000

|[[2000 CARIFTA Games|CARIFTA Games (U20)]]

|[[St. George's, Grenada]], Grenada

|bgcolor="gold"|1st

|high jump

|2.12 m

|-

|[[2000 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|CAC Junior Championships (U20)]]

|[[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]

|bgcolor="gold"|1st

|high jump

|2.15 m

|-

|[[2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]

|[[Santiago]], Chile

|bgcolor="silver"|2nd

|high jump

|[[2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.24 m]]

|-

|rowspan=4|2002

|[[2002 CARIFTA Games|CARIFTA Games (U20)]]

|[[Nassau, Bahamas]]

|bgcolor="silver"|2nd

|high jump

|2.16 m

|-

|[[2002 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|CAC Junior Championships (U20)]]

|[[Bridgetown]], Barbados

|bgcolor="gold"|1st

|high jump

|2.23 m

|-

|[[2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]

|[[Kingston, Jamaica]]

|bgcolor=CC9966|3rd

|high jump

|[[2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.21 m]]

|-

|[[Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]

|[[Manchester]], Great Britain

|5th

|high jump

|[[Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games – Men's high jump|2.20 m]]

|-

|rowspan=3|2003

|[[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]

|[[Birmingham]], Great Britain

|–

|high jump

|[[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|NM]]

|-

|[[Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]

|[[Santo Domingo]], Dominican Republic

|bgcolor="gold"|1st

|high jump

|[[Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games – Men's high jump|2.34 m]]

|-

|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]

|[[Paris]], France

|5th

|high jump

|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.29 m]]

|-

|2004

|[[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]

|[[Budapest]], Hungary

|bgcolor=CC9966|3rd

|high jump

|[[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's high jump|2.25 m]]

|-

!bgcolor="#eeeeee" colspan="6"|Representing {{GBR2}}

|-

|2006

|[[2006 European Athletics Championships|European Championships]]

|[[Gothenburg]], Sweden

|17th (q)

|high jump

|[[2006 European Athletics Championships – Men's high jump|2.19 m]]

|-

|2007

|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]

|[[Osaka]], Japan

|27th (q)

|high jump

|[[2007 World Championships in Athletics – Men's high jump|2.19 m]]

|-

|2008

|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]

|[[Beijing]], China

|bgcolor="silver"|2nd

|high jump

|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|2.34 m]]

|-

|}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*{{Olympedia}}

* [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/germaine-mason-obituary-jamaican-born-high-jumper-who-won-olympic-silver-for-team-gb-beijing-a7695716.html Obituary] in [[The Independent]] by [[Marcus Williamson]]

* {{World Athletics}}

* [http://www.germainemason.net Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925135139/http://www.germainemason.net/ |date=25 September 2020 }}

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090813051442/http://www.mtc-uk.com/talent/germaine-mason Management website]

{{Footer Pan American Champions High Jump Men}}

{{British Athletics Championships men's high jump champions}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Germaine}}

[[Category:1983 births]]

[[Category:2017 deaths]]

[[Category:Athletes from Kingston, Jamaica]]

[[Category:Jamaican male high jumpers]]

[[Category:British male high jumpers]]

[[Category:Olympic male high jumpers]]

[[Category:Olympic athletes for Great Britain]]

[[Category:Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain]]

[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)]]

[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]

[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]

[[Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Jamaica]]

[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games]]

[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for Jamaica]]

[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field)]]

[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games]]

[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain]]

[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Jamaica]]

[[Category:British Athletics Championships winners]]

[[Category:Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:Jamaican Seventh-day Adventists]]

[[Category:Road incident deaths in Jamaica]]

[[Category:Motorcycle road incident deaths]]

[[Category:Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games]]

[[Category:Jamaican Athletics Championships winners]]

[[Category:Wolmer's Schools alumni]]

[[Category:Jamaican people of English descent]]

[[Category:21st-century British sportsmen]]