Antonio McKay

Antonio McKay Sr. (born February 9, 1964) is a former track and field athlete who specialized in the 400 meters.

Antonio McKay
McKay at the 1984 Olympics
Personal information
Born (1964-02-09) February 9, 1964
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1984 Los Angeles 4x400 m relay
1988 Seoul 4x400 m relay
1984 Los Angeles 400 m
World Championships
1987 Rome 4x400 m relay
World Indoor Championships
1987 Indianapolis400 m
1989 Budapest400 m
1991 Seville4x400 m relay

Career

He won All-American honours competing for Georgia Tech and was the NCAA champion both indoors and outdoors in 1984. He won at the United States Olympic Track Trials thus qualifying for the 1984 US Olympic Team.[1] At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 400 m behind Alonzo Babers and Gabriel Tiacoh.[2] He teamed up with Babers in the 4×400-meter relay event and he led the team home to victory, winning his first Olympic gold medal.[3]

He won 400 m gold medals at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow and at the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis. He ran at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals. However, he won a gold medal in the relay with his compatriots Danny Everett, Roddie Haley and Butch Reynolds. He ran in the relay heats at the 1988 Summer Olympics and received a gold medal for his contribution as the American runners won in the final. He retained his 400 m indoor title at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships, setting a championship record of 45.59 seconds in the process.[1]

In 1989, McKay became the first Black track and field athlete to compete for the New York Athletic Club, which had historically banned Blacks and Jews from membership.[4]

He failed a doping test in 1990 for the banned stimulant phenylpropanolamine. After initially being banned for three months, the ban was overturned on the defense that neither McKay nor the doctor who had prescribed him a flu remedy where aware that the banned substance was contained in the medicine.[5]

His final international medal came at the 1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships, where he won the silver in the men's relay. McKay retired from competition around 1994. He remains the joint United States and Panamerican record holder in the rarely competed indoor 4 × 200 m relay, which he set in 1991 in Glasgow, Scotland alongside Thomas Jefferson, Raymond Pierre and Kevin Little.[6]

He now works as a track coach at North Springs High School, a public high school in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Following the murder of McKay's sister, he has raised her two sons.[7]

Coached the Dunwoody High School Girls Track and Field 5AAAAA Team to the State Championships for the 2012–2013 Season.

Achievements

  • 1984 Indoor World Record Holder,
  • 1984 NCAA Indoor Champion,
  • 1984 NCAA Outdoor Champion,
  • 1984 Olympic Trials Champion,
  • 1984 Olympic – Gold & Bronze Medalist,
  • 1985 Indoor USA Track and Field Champion,
  • 1986 Goodwill Games – Gold Medalist,
  • 1987 Indoor USA Track & Field Champion,
  • 1987 Indoor World Record Holder,
  • 1988 Indoor USA Track & Field Champion,
  • 1989 World Indoor Championships – Gold Medalist,
  • 1990 Indoor USA Track & Field Champion,
  • 1991 Indoor World Championships – Silver Medalist,
  • 1993 Indoor USA Track & Field Champion,

References
  1. Antonio McKay. Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
  2. Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 400 metres. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
  3. Athletics at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 4 × 400 metres Relay. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
  5. McKay's Ban Halted on Appeal. Los Angeles Times (1990-05-30). Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
  6. American Open Indoor Track & Field Records. USATF (2009-12-23). Retrieved on 2010-11-12.
  7. http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=96885%5B%5D retrieved 2008-09-21.
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