Alonzo Babers facts for kids
Babers in 1984
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| Born | October 31, 1961 (age 63) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
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Medal record
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Alonzo C. Babers was born on October 31, 1961. He is an American former track and field athlete. Alonzo won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He won in the 400-meter race and the 4 × 400-meter relay.
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Early Life and Education
Alonzo Babers was born in Montgomery, Alabama. His family was part of the military. He went to Kaiserslautern American High School in West Germany.
After high school, he attended the United States Air Force Academy. He studied aerospace engineering there from 1979 to 1983. While at the Academy, he was a track athlete. He also played football for one season.
Amazing Athletic Career
Alonzo Babers's career in international track and field was very exciting. He quickly became famous. Then, it ended suddenly.
Rising Star
By the end of 1982, Alonzo's best time in the 400-meter race was 45.9 seconds. But he got much faster in 1983. He ran his best time of 45.07 seconds. At the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, he ran in the 4 × 400-meter relay. His team finished in sixth place.
Olympic Glory
Alonzo kept getting faster in 1984. At the USA Final Olympic Trials in Los Angeles, he set a new personal best. He ran 44.95 seconds in his semi-final race. In the final, he ran even faster, at 44.86 seconds. This helped him make the Olympic team.
At the Los Angeles Olympic Games, he ran even faster. He set a new personal best of 44.75 seconds in his quarterfinal. In the Olympic final, Alonzo Babers won the gold medal. He ran the 400-meter race in 44.27 seconds.
He also helped the United States win another gold medal. He ran the third part of the 4 × 400-meter relay race. The U.S. team won easily in 2 minutes and 57.91 seconds.
Life After the Olympics
While training for and competing in the 1984 Olympics, Alonzo Babers was a lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Just one month after winning two gold medals, he went to flight training school. This meant his track and field career was over.
He was an active officer in the United States Air Force from 1983 to 1991. He still serves as a member of the Air Force Reserves. Later, he became a pilot for United Airlines. He flew Boeing 777 airplanes as a captain.
See also
In Spanish: Alonzo Babers para niños
