Frankie Fredericks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Frank Fredericks

Fredericks in 2007
Personal information
Nationality	Namibian
Born	(1967-10-02) 2 October 1967 (age 57) Windhoek, South West Africa
Height	180 cm
Weight	73 kg (161 lb; 11.5 st)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	100 metres, 200 metres
College team	BYU Cougars
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Namibia Olympic Games Silver 1992 Barcelona 100 m Silver 1992 Barcelona 200 m Silver 1996 Atlanta 100 m Silver 1996 Atlanta 200 m World Championships Gold 1993 Stuttgart 200 m Silver 1991 Tokyo 200 m Silver 1995 Gothenburg 200 m Silver 1997 Athens 200 m World Indoor Championships Gold 1999 Maebashi 200 m Silver 1993 Toronto 60 m All-Africa Games Gold 1991 Cairo 100 m Gold 1991 Cairo 200 m Silver 2003 Abuja 200 m Bronze 1999 Johannesburg 100 m Commonwealth Games Gold 1994 Victoria 200 m Gold 2002 Manchester 200 m Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 100 m Bronze 1994 Victoria 100 m Goodwill Games Bronze 1994 Saint Petersburg 200 m African Championships in Athletics Gold 1998 Dakar 200 m Gold 2002 Tunis 100 m Gold 2002 Tunis 200 m Silver 1998 Dakar 100 m Representing Africa World Cup Gold 1998 Johannesburg 200 m Silver 1994 London 200 m Silver 2002 Madrid 200 m Bronze 1998 Johannesburg 4×100 m relay Bronze 2002 Madrid 4×100 m relay

Frank "Frankie" Fredericks is a famous former athlete from Namibia. He was born on October 2, 1967. Frank competed in running races like the 100 metres and 200 metres.

He is well-known for winning four silver medals at the Olympic Games. He won two medals in 1992 and two more in 1996. Frank Fredericks was Namibia's only Olympic medalist for a long time. Later, Christine Mboma also won a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics.

Frank also won gold medals at other big events. These include the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He holds the world indoor record for the 200 metres. He ran it in an amazing 19.92 seconds in 1996.

Frank Fredericks has run the 200 metres in under 20 seconds 24 times. He also holds one of the fastest times ever for a 200-metre race where he didn't win. This happened in August 1996, when he ran 19.68 seconds in the Olympic final in Atlanta. He is also the oldest man to have run the 200 metres in under 20 seconds. He did this in Rome on July 12, 2002, when he was 34 years old.

Frank Fredericks' Early Life and School

Frank Fredericks grew up in Windhoek, Namibia. He was the only child of his mother, Riekie Fredericks, who was a seamstress. His father was Andries Kangootui, a farmer.

Frank started playing soccer at a Catholic school in Döbra in 1981. Later, he got a scholarship to Concordia College. At Concordia, he started focusing on athletics because the soccer team wasn't as strong. Even so, he still played for Black Africa, a top soccer team in his country.

After finishing school, Frank worked at a company called Rössing Uranium Ltd. in Swakopmund. In 1987, he received a scholarship to study in the United States. He went to Brigham Young University where he studied computer science. He later earned a master's degree in business. While in college, Frank won three national championships in athletics.

Frank's Amazing Athletics Career

In 1990, Namibia became independent from South Africa. This meant Frank Fredericks could finally compete in international sports events.

At the World Championships in 1991, Frank won a silver medal in the 200-metre race. He finished behind the famous runner Michael Johnson. He also placed 5th in the 100-metre race.

Olympic Achievements

The next year, at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Frank made history. He became Namibia's very first Olympic medalist! He won silver medals in both the 100 metres and 200 metres. In the 100-metre race, he ran 10.02 seconds, just a tiny bit slower than the gold medalist.

In 1993, at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Frank became Namibia's first World Champion. He won the gold medal in the 200-metre race.

Commonwealth Games Success

At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, Frank won a gold medal in the 200 metres. He also earned a bronze medal in the 100 metres. His time of 19.97 seconds in the 200 metres is still the Commonwealth Games record.

At the 1995 World Championships, Frank showed great sportsmanship. After the 100-metre race, he immediately went to help his friend Linford Christie. Christie had pulled a muscle during the race and needed help. This kind act made many athletics fans admire Frank even more.

More Olympic Medals

For the 1996 Summer Olympics, Frank was expected to win gold in both the 100 metres and 200 metres. He reached both finals but again won two silver medals. In the 100 metres, Donovan Bailey won and set a new world record. In the 200 metres, Michael Johnson won and also set a new world record. Frank's second-place time in the 200 metres was the third-fastest in history at that point.

At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Frank won another silver medal in the 100 metres. He was beaten by Ato Boldon from Trinidad and Tobago.

Later Career and Retirement

Frank faced some injuries, which caused him to miss the 1999 and 2001 World Championships. He also missed the 2000 Summer Olympics.

In 2003, he went to Abuja to represent Namibia at the 2003 All-Africa Games. Fans cheered for him, and he won a silver medal. He then won the 200 metres at the first-ever 2003 Afro-Asian Games later that year. In his final Olympic race, the 200-metre final at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he finished 4th.

Frank Fredericks retired from competing after the 2004 outdoor season. He had run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds an amazing 27 times during his career.

Frank Fredericks' Best Times

Here are some of Frank Fredericks' fastest times in different races:

Category	Distance	Performance	Wind	Location	Date
Outdoor	100 metres	9.86	– 0.4 m/s	Lausanne	3 July 1996
	200 metres	19.68	+ 0.4 m/s	Atlanta	1 August 1996
	400 metres	46.28		Tempe	25 March 1989
Indoor	50 metres	5.77		Liévin	24 February 2002
	60 metres	6.51		Toronto	12 March 1993
	100 metres	10.05		Tampere	12 February 1996
	200 metres	19.92		Liévin	18 February 1996
	300 metres	32.36		Karlsruhe	28 February 2003
	Long jump	7.57 m		Colorado Springs	22 February 1991

Frank Fredericks' Role in Sports Organizations

In 2004, Frank Fredericks became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC is a very important group that organizes the Olympic Games.

In 2009, he became the head of Athletics Namibia, which is the main athletics organization in his home country.

Frank Fredericks is also part of the 'Champions for Peace' club. This group includes 54 famous athletes who work to promote peace around the world through sports. This club was started by Peace and Sport, an international organization based in Monaco.

Looking into Payments

In 2017, a French newspaper reported that Frank Fredericks had received a large payment in 2009. This payment came from a company owned by the son of a former head of the IAAF (the world athletics organization). The payment happened on the same day that Rio was chosen to host the 2016 Olympics.

Frank Fredericks said the payment was for his work as a consultant. He said it was for helping with relay championships and marketing programs in Africa. He denied that the payment had anything to do with the Olympic bid.

Because of these reports, Frank Fredericks stepped down from some of his important roles. He left his position on the IAAF task force that was looking into Russia's athletics body. He also stepped down as the head of the committee that was evaluating bids for the 2024 Olympics. He said he did this "in the best interests" of the process, even though he maintained his innocence.

Frank Fredericks' Business Work

After he stopped competing in athletics, Frank Fredericks started a business career. He also created the Frank Fredericks Foundation in 1999. This is a non-profit organization that helps talented young athletes.

See also

• List of champions of African athletics
• IAAF doping controversy