Jeff Williams (sprinter) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jeff Williams

Personal information
Full name	Jeffrey Williams
Born	December 31, 1965 (1965-12-31) (age 59) Los Angeles, U.S.
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Pan American Games Bronze 1991 Havana 100 m World Championships Bronze 1995 Gothenburg 200 m

Jeffrey "Jeff" Williams (born December 31, 1965) is a former American track and field athlete. He was really good at the 200-meter dash, which is a sprint race. Jeff won a bronze medal at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics. He also made it to the 200-meter final at the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 1996, he even set an American record for the indoor 200-meter race.

Jeff started competing at a high level a bit later than some athletes, joining his first world championship when he was 29. What was also special about Jeff was that his coach was a woman, Barbara Ferrell. She was an Olympic gold medalist from 1968. This was quite unusual for a top male runner at that time!

Jeff's Journey in Track and Field

College Days and Early Races

Jeff Williams was born in Los Angeles, California. He went to Washington Preparatory High School. After that, he attended Los Angeles City College, finishing in 1985. He then joined Prairie View A&M University. There, he first played American football for the Prairie View A&M Panthers team.

His football coach noticed how fast he was. The coach suggested Jeff try out for the track team. While at Prairie View, Jeff ran the 100 meters in 10.3 seconds. He also ran the 200 meters in 20.85 seconds. He even placed sixth in the 200-meter heats at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

Becoming a Professional Runner

Jeff finished college in 1987 with a degree in social sciences. Unlike many track athletes, he supported himself without a sponsorship deal. He started competing regularly at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In 1989, he reached the semi-finals in the 100 meters. He also made it to the finals in the 200 meters. The next year, he improved, finishing seventh in the 100 meters and sixth in the 200 meters.

Jeff gained international experience at the 1991 Pan American Games. He won a bronze medal in the 100 meters. He was behind another American runner, Andre Cason. However, his team was disqualified in the 4×100-meter relay. That year, he also competed in Europe. He finished fifth in the 200 meters at the 1991 IAAF Grand Prix Final.

Working with an Olympic Coach

After getting advice from his father, Jeff decided to focus seriously on track from 1992. He began training with Barbara Ferrell. She was an Olympic silver medalist from 1968. It was very rare for a woman to coach a top male runner. But Jeff didn't mind. He said, "I've heard people say a woman can't coach a man, but they must be lying, because look what she has done for me."

In 1992, Jeff tried to qualify for the Olympics at the United States Olympic Trials. He placed sixth in the 100-meter semi-finals. He finished last in the 200-meter final. Even so, he was chosen for the IAAF World Cup in Athletics. There, he won a bronze medal in the 200 meters. He also helped the U.S. relay team win a gold medal.

His performance at the 1993 U.S. Championships wasn't great. But he did well in Europe. He won the 200 meters at the British AAA Championships. At the 1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final, he placed fourth in the 100 meters and fifth in the 200 meters. His 1994 season was quieter. He finished sixth in the 200 meters at the U.S. Championships. He also ran his personal best of 20.19 seconds in Stockholm. This was the fifth fastest time that year.

Reaching World and Olympic Finals

The year 1995 was a big one for Jeff Williams. He made it to the 100-meter U.S. final. But it was in the 200 meters that he finally reached the national podium. He won the bronze medal, finishing behind Michael Johnson and Kevin Little. He had been competing in national championships for seven years. He said, "I think persistence plays a little part in it. Luck is remnant of desire. Just hanging in there."

After competing in Europe, he got ready for the 200 meters at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics. He won his heat and quarter-final races. In the semi-finals, he ran 20.32 seconds, placing second behind Frankie Fredericks. In the final, he ran his personal best time of 20.18 seconds. He earned the bronze medal, finishing behind Fredericks and Johnson. Jeff won his first world medal at a major championship when he was 29 years old. He ended the season with a fifth-place finish at the IAAF Grand Prix Final.

Peak Performance and the Olympics

Jeff reached his best athletic performance in 1996. He started the season by setting an American indoor record of 20.40 seconds in the 200 meters. This was the third fastest indoor time that year. He finished second in the event at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, behind Kevin Little.

While at the Fresno Relays in California, Jeff's 100-meter race was ruined when his shoe came off. Wanting to test his speed, Jeff decided to run an unplanned 200-meter race instead. He clocked a personal record time of 19.87 seconds, even running into a headwind! Only Michael Johnson and Frankie Fredericks had run faster since 1992.

By the time of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, he had also run a 100-meter dash best of 10.14 seconds. He set another personal record in the first round, running 10.02 seconds. He moved on to the final with similar times. In the 100-meter final, he had a false start. He ended up finishing fourth, just missing out on qualifying for the Olympics. This was his best ever 100-meter finish. But he was disappointed, saying, "I had a mental breakdown and got called for a false start. I blew it."

He did better in the 200 meters. He came in second with a time of 20.03 seconds. He was quite a bit behind the winner, Michael Johnson, who set a world record time of 19.66 seconds.

Jeff competed in his first Olympics at age 30. He easily qualified through the early rounds. He finished third in his semi-final. In the final, Jeff ran 20.17 seconds. This time would have been enough to win a medal at the previous Olympics. However, the 1996 Olympic 200-meter race was one of the fastest ever. Michael Johnson broke the world record. Frankie Fredericks ran the third fastest time ever. Ato Boldon finished in 19.80 seconds. Jeff had to settle for fifth place (behind Obadele Thompson) in his last big global race.

Even though he's retired from top-level competition, Jeff still runs in masters athletics events. These are competitions for older athletes, and he competes in the M40 class (for men aged 40 and over).

Jeff's Best Times

• All information taken from IAAF/USATF profiles.

Competition Results

See also

In Spanish: Jeff Williams para niños