Bruny Surin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bruny Surin
CM CQ

Bruny Surin at the Maisonneuve College
Personal information
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1967-07-12) July 12, 1967 (age 58) Cap-Haitien, Haiti
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	81 kilograms (179 lb)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	100 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100m : 9.84 (Sevilla 1999) 200m : 20.21 (Brussels 1999)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Canada Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 0 World Championships 2 2 1 World Indoor Championships 2 0 0 Commonwealth Games 1 0 1 Goodwill Games 0 1 0 Jeux de la Francophonie 1 0 0 Total 7 3 2 Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m relay World Championships Gold 1995 Gothenburg 4x100 m relay Gold 1997 Athens 4x100 m relay Silver 1995 Gothenburg 100 m Silver 1999 Seville 100 m Bronze 1993 Stuttgart 4x100 m relay IAAF World Indoor Championships Gold 1993 Toronto 60 m Gold 1995 Barcelona 60 m Commonwealth Games Gold 1994 Victoria 4×100 m relay Bronze 1990 Auckland 100 m Goodwill Games Silver 1998 New York 4 × 100 m relay Jeux de la Francophonie Gold 1994 Paris 100 m

Bruny Surin is a famous Canadian former track and field athlete. He was born on July 12, 1967. He is best known for winning a gold medal in the 4×100 metres relay at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 2008, he was added to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame with his relay team. Bruny Surin is also a very fast runner in the 100 metres race. He has run this race in under 10 seconds many times. His fastest time is 9.84 seconds!

Bruny Surin's Amazing Career

Bruny Surin was born in Cap-Haïtien, Haïti. His family moved to Québec City, Canada, in 1975. He first competed for Canada at the 1987 Pan-American Games. There, he placed fifteenth in the long jump. He got the same result at the 1988 Olympics.

After the 1988 Olympics, a coach named Franco Barucci convinced Bruny to switch from long jump to the 100 m sprint. Barucci believed Bruny could run the 100m in 10.10 seconds. Soon after, Bruny won the Canadian championships with a time of 10.14 seconds.

Early Successes and Medals

At the 1990 Commonwealth Games, Bruny won a bronze medal in the 100m race. He also placed seventh in the long jump. In 1991, he was eighth in the 100m at the World Championships. At the 1992 Summer Olympics, he finished 4th in the 100m. He also reached the semifinals with the Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team.

At the 1993 World Championships, Bruny was fifth in the 100m. He also won a bronze medal with the Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team. In 1994, at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, he won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay. He also won gold in the 100m at the 1994 Francophone Games in Paris. His time of 10.08 seconds was a new record for those games.

World Championships and Olympic Gold

At the 1995 World Championships, Bruny won a silver medal in the 100m. His teammate, Donovan Bailey, won the gold. Bruny then won a gold medal with the Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team.

At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the Canadian relay team was not expected to win. Even though they had won many races before, they had not competed against the United States team. But in the 4 × 100 m relay final, the Canadian team beat the United States by almost half a second! This showed they were the best relay team in the world. Bruny also made it to the semifinals of the 100m race at these Olympics.

Bruny and the Canadian team won another gold medal at the 1997 World Championships. They also won a silver medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games. Bruny finished seventh in the 100m at the 1997 World Championships. He then won a silver medal in the 100m at the 1999 World Championships. His time of 9.84 seconds matched Donovan Bailey's Canadian record. At that time, it was the fastest time ever for a runner who didn't win the 100m race.

Later Career and Retirement

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Bruny was a favorite to win a gold medal. However, he had not fully recovered from a leg injury. He was eliminated in the semifinals of the 100m race. He visibly slowed down and walked to the finish line because of the pain. His last big race was in the semifinals of the 100m at the 2001 World Championships. He got injured again and had to leave the track in a wheelchair.

In 2009, Bruny Surin set a new Canadian record for the 50 metres race in his age group (40-45). His time was 6.15 seconds.

In May 2022, Bruny Surin was chosen to be Team Canada's chef de mission for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. This means he will lead and support the Canadian Olympic team.

Honours and Achievements

In 2016, Bruny Surin was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. This is a very special honour in Quebec.

Book About Bruny Surin

In 2009, a book about Bruny Surin was published. It was written by Bruny Surin himself and Saïd Khalil. The book is called Bruny Surin, le lion tranquille, which means "Bruny Surin, the quiet lion." In the book, Bruny talks about his 17 years as a sports professional. He also speaks out against doping in sports, saying it harms athletes and competitions.

Bruny Surin has two daughters. He has also been involved in local politics.

See also

In Spanish: Bruny Surin para niños

• Canadian records in track and field