Leroy Burrell
Leroy Russel Burrell (born February 21, 1967) is an American former track and field athlete, who twice set the world record for the 100 m sprint.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Leroy Russel Burrell |
Nationality | American |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | February 21, 1967
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
Sport | |
Sport | Track and field |
Event(s) | Sprints and long jump |
College team | Houston Cougars (1985-1990) |
Club | Santa Monica Track Club |
Coached by | Tom Tellez[1] |
Retired | 1998[2] |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) |
|
Medal record
|
Early life
Burrell grew up in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, and attended Penn Wood High School, where he single-handedly won the state championship by winning the 100 m, 200 m, long jump, and triple jump. Suffering from poor eyesight accentuated by a childhood eye injury, he was poor at other sports, but excelled on the track from an early age.
Professional career
Burrell was plagued by injuries and bad luck throughout his career, particularly around major championships. He won gold in the 100 m ahead of Carl Lewis at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle. He won the silver in the 100 m behind Lewis at the 1991 World Championships. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Burrell false-started in the 100 m final. When the race finally restarted, his reaction off the line was slow, and he finished fifth. He did manage to win a relay gold as part of the U.S. 4 × 100 m team.
On May 19, 1990, Burrell ran a wind-assisted 200 m at College Station, Texas, in a time of 19.61 seconds. The wind speed was +4.0 m per second. This was the fastest time for the 200 m for over six years until the 1996 Olympic final in Atlanta, where Michael Johnson ran 19.32 seconds.
He first set the world record in June 1991 with a time of 9.90 seconds. This was broken that September by Carl Lewis who ran 9.86 sec at the 1991 World Track and Field Championships where Burrell finished second in a new personal best time of 9.88 sec. In July 1994, Burrell set the world record for the second time when he ran 9.85 sec (a record that stood until the 1996 Olympics when Donovan Bailey ran 9.84 sec).
Since his retirement in 1998, Burrell has replaced his old college mentor, Tom Tellez, as coach of the University of Houston's track team. Burrell has led UH to 14 men's Conference USA titles (nine indoor, five outdoor) and nine women's titles (four indoor, five outdoor). He was inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 2014.[3]
Personal life
Burrell married Michelle Finn, also a sprinter, in 1994, and they have three sons: Cameron, a sprinter for the Houston Cougars,[4] Joshua, and Jaden. On June 7, 2017, Cameron joined his father in the sub-10 second club. Burrell's younger sister Dawn also competed in track and field at the highest level and she was a world indoor champion in the long jump.
Statistics
Information from IAAF profile unless otherwise noted.[5]
World records
Includes former all-conditions world best in the 200 meters. All world records are former as of May 24, 2014.
Sprints
Event | Time (s) | Wind (m/s) | Competition | Venue | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
55 m | 6.09 | n/a | Houston indoor meet | Houston, Texas, U.S. | January 28, 1991 | |
60 m | 6.48 | n/a | Madrid indoor meet | Madrid, Spain | February 13, 1991 | Former WR[note 1] [6][7] |
100 m | 9.85 | +1.2 | Athletissima Lausanne | Lausanne, Switzerland | July 6, 1994 | Former WR[note 3] [11][12] |
200 m | 20.12 | −0.8 | U.S. Olympic Trials | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | June 27, 1992 | |
19.61 | +4.1 | SWC Championships | College Station, Texas, U.S. | May 19, 1990 | w[note 4] [13] | |
4 × 100 m relay | 37.40 | n/a | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | August 8, 1992 | Former WR, OR[note 8] [17][18] |
World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | August 21, 1993 | Former WR, CR[note 9] [19][20] | |||
4 × 200 m relay | 1:18.68 | n/a | Mt. SAC Relays | Walnut, California, U.S. | April 17, 1994 | Former WR[note 12] [24] |
Jumps
Event | Mark (m) | Wind (m/s) | Competition | Venue | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Long jump | 8.37 | +0.4 | NCAA Division I Championships | Provo, Utah, U.S. | June 2, 1989 | |
Long jump indoor | 8.23 | n/a | NCAA Division I Indoor Championships | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | March 9, 1990 |
International championship results
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Wind | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the ![]() | |||||||
1989 | World Cup | Barcelona, Spain | 2nd | 100 m | 10.15 | +0.5 | |
1990 | Goodwill Games | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | 1st | 100 m | 10.05 | +1.1 | |
1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | 100 m | 9.88 | +1.2 | PB |
6th (qf 4) | 200 m | 21.21 | −0.7 | ||||
1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.50 | n/a | WR, CR[note 7] [16] | |||
1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 5th | 100 m | 10.10 | +0.5 | |
1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.40 | n/a | WR, OR[note 8] [17][18] | |||
1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.40 | n/a | WR, CR[note 9] [19][20] |
1994 | Goodwill Games | St. Petersburg, Russia | 2nd | 100 m | 10.11 | −1.9 |
National championship results
Overall
Notes
- American Andre Cason broke Leroy Burrell's 6.48 s world record in the 60 m a year later with a time of 6.45 s.[25]
- American Carl Lewis broke Leroy Burrell's 9.90 s world record in the 100 m two months later at the 1991 World Championships with a time of 9.86 s.[8]
- Canadian Donovan Bailey broke Leroy Burrel's 9.85 s world record in the 100 m two years later at the 1996 Summer Olympics with a time of 9.84 s.[26]
- Though the race was wind-assisted and therefore ineligible for the official IAAF world record, at the time it was the fastest anyone had ever run the 200 m in any conditions.[13]
- Shared with Americans Michael Marsh, Floyd Heard, and Carl Lewis for the Santa Monica Track Club.[14]
- Shared with Americans Michael Marsh, Dennis Mitchell, and Carl Lewis for the U.S.[15]
- Shared with Americans Andre Cason, Dennis Mitchell, and Carl Lewis for the U.S.[16]
- Shared with Americans Michael Marsh, Dennis Mitchell, and Carl Lewis for the U.S.[17][18]
- Shared with Americans Jon Drummond, Andre Cason, and Dennis Mitchell for the U.S.[19][20]
- Shared with Americans Danny Everett, Floyd Heard, and Carl Lewis for the Santa Monica Track Club.[21]
- Shared with Americans Michael Marsh, Floyd Heard, and Carl Lewis for the Santa Monica Track Club.[22][23]
- Shared with Americans Michael Marsh, Floyd Heard, and Carl Lewis for the Santa Monica Track Club.[24]
References
- "Burrell Makes His Mark In The 100 -- Sprinter Edges Training Partner Lewis In 9.90 For World Record". seattletimes.com. Seattle Times. June 15, 1991. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Leroy Burrell". uhcougars.com. Houston Cougars. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2017-01-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Jeré Longman (May 23, 2013). "In His Parents' Very Fast Footsteps". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- "Leroy BURRELL | Profile". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "BURRELL BEATS WORLD MARK IN 60-METER DASH-TWICE". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. February 14, 1991. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Juan José Fernández (February 15, 1991). "El récord anulado a Burrell, una discusión de centésimas". elpais.com. El Pais. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Kenny Moore (September 2, 1991). "THE GREAT RACE". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Wayne Coffey (June 15, 1991). "BURRELL NEW KING OF 100 METERS". orlandosentinel.com. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Merrell Noden (July 1, 1991). "SUPER POWER". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- The Associated Press (July 7, 1994). "Burrell Eclipses 100-Meter Mark : Track and Field: Time of 9.85 seconds at Swiss meet surpasses Carl Lewis' record of 9.86". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Frank Litsky (July 7, 1994). "TRACK AND FIELD; Leroy Burrell Breaks Mark For 100 Meters". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Burrell Rides Wind to 19.61 in 200". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. May 20, 1990. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Santa Monica team ties world 400 relay..." baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun. August 4, 1991. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- "U.S. REGAINS 400 RELAY RECORD". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. August 8, 1991. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Enrico Jacomini (September 2, 1991). "U.S. SETS WORLD RECORD IN THE 4X100-METER RELAY". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Julie Cart (August 9, 1992). "BARCELONA '92 OLYMPICS / Day 15 : Now, Their Silence is Golden : Track: U.S. sprinters, earlier outspoken and feuding, set world records in men's 400 and 1,600 relays. Women place first in 400 and second in 1,600". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Bill Glauber (August 9, 1992). "Anchoring his place in history Lewis leads 400 team to gold, world record". baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Frank Litsky (August 22, 1993). "TRACK & FIELD; U.S. Men Equal World Record in 400-Meter Relay". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Bert Rosenthal (August 22, 1993). "U.S. RELAY TEAM SHOWS IT DOESN'T NEED CARL LEWIS". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- "Lewis Anchors 800-Meter Relay Record". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. August 23, 1989. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Paul McMullen (April 26, 1992). "Lewis' anchor leg clinches world record in 4x200 at Penn Relays Mark set despite faulty transfer". baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Frank Litsky (April 26, 1992). "TRACK AND FIELD; A World Mark in 800-Meter Relay". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Randy Harvey (April 18, 1994). "Lewis and Friends Smash 800-Meter Relay World Record". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- "U.S. SPRINTER BREAKS WORLD MARK". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. January 30, 1992. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- Tim Huebsch (July 29, 2016). "Remembering Canada's greatest Olympic moments: Donovan Bailey wins 100m gold". runningmagazine.ca. Canadian Running Magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "1996 Olympic Team Trials - Men's Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 23, 1996. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- "Burrell Beats Lewis Again in 100-Meter Dash". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. September 8, 1990. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
External links
- Leroy Burrell at World Athletics
- Leroy Burrell hall of fame bio at USATF
- Leroy Burrell bio at the Houston Cougars