Danny Harris facts for kids
Harris at the 2008 Iowa State Track and Field Reunion
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| Full name | Danny Lee Harris | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 7, 1965 (age 59) Torrance, California, U.S. |
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Medal record
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Danny Lee Harris (born September 7, 1965) is an American former track and field athlete. He was a specialist in the 400-meter hurdles race. Danny Harris won silver medals at the 1984 Olympics and the 1987 World Championships.
Contents
Early Life and High School Career
Danny Harris grew up in Perris, California. He went to Perris High School. In 1983, he won the CIF California State Championship in the 300-meter hurdles. He also helped his team finish second in the 4 × 400 meters relay. This was a great achievement for Perris High School.
College and Olympic Success
Harris attended Iowa State University. He competed for the Iowa State Cyclones track and field team. In 1984, at just 18 years old, he ran the 400-meter hurdles in 48.02 seconds. This was a world record for athletes under 20 for many years.
At the 1984 Olympic final, he finished second. He won a silver medal behind the famous runner Ed Moses. While at Iowa State, Harris won three NCAA 400-meter hurdles titles. He also won four Drake Relays titles.
Danny Harris was never beaten by another college athlete in the 400-meter hurdles. He helped the Cyclones win three outdoor and two indoor team titles. He set new records in the 400-meter hurdles, 600 yards, and 4 × 400 relay for the Big Eight Conference.
Professional Career Highlights
In 1987, at a competition in Madrid, Harris made history. He became the first person to beat Edwin Moses in the 400-meter hurdles since 1977. However, Moses narrowly beat Harris at the 1987 World Championships.
Harris did not make it to the 1988 Olympics. He finished fifth in the U.S. Olympic Trials. The top spots went to Moses, Andre Phillips, and Kevin Young. These athletes later became Olympic champions.
Harris set his personal best in the 400-meter hurdles in July 1991. He ran it in 47.38 seconds at Athletissima in Lausanne. He finished fifth in that year's World Championships.
After 1992, Harris faced a period where he was unable to compete for several years. In 1995, he was ranked fourth in the world for the 400-meter hurdles. But a hamstring injury kept him out of the 1995 World Championships.
Life After Running
After his time away from competing, Danny Harris faced some difficult personal challenges. He lost his sponsorship deals and had to sell his home. For a period, he went through a very tough time in his life.
By 2008, he was helping others at the Midnight Mission homeless shelter. This was a place where he had once received help himself.
Harris later became a track coach at different high schools. In 2001, he helped the Perris High School boys' track team win their first League Championship. This was the first time since he had been a student there.
Danny Harris has been honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the Drake Relays Hall of Fame in 1995. He joined the Iowa State Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2005, he was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, a documentary film about his life, called Crossing the Line, was shown at film festivals.
See also
In Spanish: Danny Harris para niños
Images for kids
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Danny Harris at the 2008 Iowa State Track and Field Reunion
