Merlene Ottey-Page

Merlene Ottey was one of the great women sprinters of all-time, her career marred only by her failure to win an Olympic gold medal. At career’s end, Merlene Ottey had won more Olympic medals in track & field athletics than any woman, with nine, with three silver and six bronze medals (later bettered by Allyson Felix). Further these were won over a remarkably long career, which saw her win her first Olympic medal in 1980 (200 metre bronze) and her final one in 2000 (4×100 relay silver with Jamaica). Through 2004, she competed in seven Olympic Games, consecutively from 1980-2004, making her, through 2020, the only women in athletics to compete at seven Games. She was also one of the first two women to compete in seven Olympics, along with Italian canoeist Josefa Idem-Guerrini. Ottey’s final appearance in 2004 came representing Slovenia. Ottey adopted Slovene nationality on 27 October 2002, following a dispute with the Jamaican federation over her participation at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Primarily a 200 metre runner, Ottey did win the World Championships at that distance in 1993 and 1995, adding a gold in the 1991 4x100 relay. In all, Ottey won 14 medals at the Worlds, with three golds, four silvers, and seven bronze medals between 1983 and 1997. Ottey was a three-time champion at the World Indoor Championships, winning the 200 in 1989 and 1991, and the 60 metres in 1995, adding two silver medals (1987 200, 1991 60) and two bronze medals (1989 and 2003 60 metres). She also won five medals at the Commonwealth Games, with three gold medals – the 1982 and 1990 200 metres and the 1990 100 metres. Ottey’s cousin, Milt Ottey, was also an Olympian, competing in the high jump for Canada in 1984 and 1988.

Personal Bests: 100 – 10.74 (1996); 200 – 21.64 (1991); 400 – 51.12 (1983).