Alonzo Babers facts for kids
Babers in 1984
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1961 (age 63) Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||||||||
Alonzo C. Babers, born on October 31, 1961, is an American former athlete. He won two gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics. These medals were for the 400-meter race and the 4 × 400-meter relay. After his amazing Olympic success, he became a pilot.
Contents
Alonzo Babers: Olympic Champion
Early Life and Education
Alonzo Babers was born in Montgomery, Alabama. His father was in the military, so Alonzo grew up in different places. He graduated from 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 also a talented athlete. He ran track and played football for one season.
Rising Star in Athletics
Alonzo Babers's running career took off very quickly. By the end of 1982, his best time in the 400-meter race was 45.9 seconds. He improved a lot in 1983, running 45.07 seconds.
He competed in the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki. There, he finished sixth in the 4 × 400-meter relay. This was a bit disappointing for him.
Olympic Glory in 1984
Babers continued to get faster in 1984. At the USA Final Olympic Trials in Los Angeles, he set a new personal best. He ran the semi-final in 44.95 seconds. In the final, he ran even faster, at 44.86 seconds. This amazing speed helped him qualify for the Olympic team.
At the Los Angeles Olympic Games, he kept improving. He ran his quarterfinal in 44.75 seconds, another personal best. In the Olympic final, Alonzo Babers ran an incredible 44.27 seconds. This earned him the gold medal in the 400-meter race.
He also helped the United States win another gold medal. In the 4 × 400-meter relay, Babers ran the third part of the race. The U.S. team won easily with a time of 2:57.91.
Life After the Olympics
During his training and competition at the 1984 Olympics, Babers was a lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Just one month after winning two gold medals, he started flight training school. This meant his career as a professional athlete was over.
He served as an active-duty officer in the Air Force from 1983 to 1991. He still serves as a member of the Air Force Reserves. Later in his life, he became a captain for United Airlines. He flew the Boeing 777 airplane.
See also
In Spanish: Alonzo Babers para niños
