Gwen Torrence
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | [1] Atlanta, Georgia,U.S. | June 12, 1965|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft7+1⁄2in (171 cm)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 125 lb (57 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Updated on February 9, 2014 |
Gwendolyn Lenna Torrence(born June 12, 1965) is a retired Americansprinterand Olympic champion. She was born inDecatur, Georgia.She attendedColumbia High Schooland theUniversity of Georgia.She was offered a scholarship because of her athletic abilities, but she said she wasn't interested because she initially wanted to become abeautician.From the persuasion from her coaches and family, she chose to enroll to theUniversity of Georgia.
In the early 1990s, Gwen Torrence was one of the best sprinters in the world, winning five Olympic medals, and three gold.[3]
Torrence won medals at theSummer Olympics,Outdoor&Indoor World Championships,Pan American Games,Goodwill Games,andWorld University Games.
In 1988, Torrence achieved a tie withEvelyn Ashfordin the 55 m race at the U.S. national indoor championships. She also had many battles both on the track and in the press withFlorence Griffith Joyner.[citation needed]
In the 200 m at the1995 World Championships,she was disqualified for stepping out of her lane after finishing first. This left her idol,Merlene Ottey,to be promoted to first place.
In 2000 she was inducted into theGeorgia Sports Hall of Fame.[4]
International competitions
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | World University Games | Kobe,Japan | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | |
1987 | Pan American Games | Indianapolis,United States | 1st | 200 m | |
1st | 4 × 100 m relay | ||||
World University Games | Zagreb,Yugoslavia | 1st | 100 m | ||
1st | 200 m | ||||
1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 5th | 100 m | |
6th | 200 m | ||||
1989 | World Indoor Championships | Budapest,Hungary | 2nd | 60 m | |
1991 | World Championships | Tokyo,Japan | 2nd | 100 m | |
2nd | 200 m | ||||
1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona,Spain | 1st | 200 m | |
1st | 4 × 100 m relay | ||||
2nd | 4 × 400 m relay | ||||
1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart,Germany | 3rd | 100 m | |
2nd | 200 m | ||||
2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | ||||
1st | 4 × 400 m relay | ||||
1994 | Goodwill Games | Saint Petersburg,Russia | 1st | 100 m | |
1st | 200 m | ||||
1st | 4 × 100 m relay | ||||
1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg,Sweden | 1st | 100 m | |
1st | 4 × 100 m relay | ||||
1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta,United States | 3rd | 100 m | |
1st | 4 × 100 m relay |
National titles
[edit]- USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- 100 m: 1995
- 200 m: 1988, 1993, 1995
- USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
- 55 m: 1989
- 60 m: 1994, 1995, 1996
- 200 m: 1994, 1996
Personal bests
[edit]Outdoor
- 100-meter dash– 10.82 (1994)
- 200-meter dash– 21.72 (1992)
- 400-meter dash– 49.64 (1992)
Indoor
- 50-meter dash– 6.07 (1996)
- 55-meter dash– 6.56 (1987)
- 60-meter dash– 7.02 (1996)
Awards
[edit]- World Athlete of the Year (Women): 1995[5]
References
[edit]- ^"Gwen Torrence".sports-reference.com.Sports Reference LLC. Archived fromthe originalon April 17, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 9,2014.
- ^"Gwen Torrence".usatf.org.USA Track & Field.RetrievedFebruary 9,2014.
- ^"Gwen TORRENCE".
- ^"Gwen Torrence"(PDF).Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.Archived(PDF)from the original on March 5, 2016.RetrievedJuly 5,2017.
- ^"World Athletes of the Year"(PDF).World Athletics.
External links
[edit]- 1965 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Decatur, Georgia
- Track and field athletes from Atlanta
- American female sprinters
- African-American track and field athletes
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field
- Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
- World Athletics Championships medalists
- World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists
- Georgia Bulldogs women's track and field athletes
- Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Goodwill Games medalists in athletics
- FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States
- IAAF World Athlete of the Year
- USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
- World Athletics Championships winners
- Medalists at the 1985 Summer Universiade
- Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade
- Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games
- Olympic female sprinters
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)
- 21st-century African-American sportspeople
- 21st-century African-American women
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople
- 20th-century African-American women
- Australian Athletics Championships winners
- United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field)
- NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
- NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners