Evelyn Ashford

From WikiRun

Evelyn Ashford (1957–) competed at four Olympic Games, won a 100m gold medal, and brought home a total of five Olympic medals. She lowered the World Record at 100m twice, and broke the American Record at 100m and 200m a total of eight times.

Ashford competed in the relays for 15 years. In addition to the four individual titles she won, Evelyn also ran on four winning relay teams.

Evelyn was the first American woman to break through two sprint barriers: 11.0 seconds for 100m, and 22.0 seconds for 200m. Her second 100m World Record, and PR, served to quiet critics who claimed her 1984 Summer Olympics 100m was tainted by the Communist boycott. After winning Olympic gold, Evelyn traveled to Europe, where she met and beat the the top runners who did not participate in the Olympics -- and set a World Record in the process.

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Evelyn Ashford finished second behind the great Florence Griffith Joyner. She collected her second 4x100m relay gold medal in 1988, then returned to Olympic action in 1992 to claim a third consecutive 4x100m relay gold medal.

Career highlights

Broke World Record twice

• 1983: 10.79A
• 1984: 10.76

Broke American 100m Record 5 times

• 1979: 11.07
• 1979: 10.97
• 1981: 10.90A
• 1983: 10.79A
• 1984: 10.76

Broke American 200m Record 3 times

• 1979: 22.45
• 1979: 22.27
• 1979: 21.83

Olympic Gold Medal, 1984

• 10.97

Olympic Gold Medal 4x100m Relay

1984: 41.65 1988: 41.98 1992: 42.11

Olympic Silver Medal, 1988

10.83w

Olympic 5th place finish, 1976

11.24

World Cup 100m Champion

1979: 11.06 1981: 11.02

World Cup 200m Champion

1979: 21.83 1981: 22.18

U.S. National Champion

100m 1977: 11.39w 1979: 11.01w 1981: 11.07 1982: 10.96 1983: 11.24 200m 1977: 22.62 1978: 22.66 1979: 22.07w 1981: 22.30 1983: 21.88

Pan-Am Champion, 1979

100m: 11.07 200m: 22.24w^[1]

References

1. ↑ http://ibm.mtsac.edu/relays/HallFame/Ashford.htm