Jerome Young facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | August 14, 1976 | |||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 175 lb | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
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| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 400-meter dash | |||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 400 m: 44.09 (1998) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Jerome Young (born August 14, 1976) is a former American track and field athlete who was a very fast sprinter, especially in the 400-meter dash. He was part of the United States 4 × 400-meter relay team that won gold medals at world championship events.
However, these medals were later taken away. It was discovered that Young had broken the rules of the sport. Because of this, he was eventually banned from competing. The U.S. team also lost its gold medal from the 2000 Summer Olympics because of rule violations by team members.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Jerome Young was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, but he grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. He went to A.I. Prince Technical High School. As a high school senior in 1995, he was incredibly fast. He set a Connecticut state record in the 400-meter race with a time of 45.01 seconds.
Because of his amazing talent, the magazine Track and Field News named him "High School Athlete of the Year" in 1995.
In 1998, Young was part of a 4 × 400-meter relay team that broke the world record. His teammates were famous runners Michael Johnson, Antonio Pettigrew, and Tyree Washington.
Rule Violations and Consequences
In sports, it's very important that all athletes compete fairly. There are strict rules about what athletes can and cannot use to improve their performance.
On June 29, 2004, the IAAF, the organization in charge of track and field, announced that Young had broken one of these rules back on June 26, 1999.
What Happened to His Medals?
Because of this rule violation, all of Young's race results from June 1999 to June 2001 were erased. This meant that the medals he won during that time were taken away. He was also banned from competing in the sport for life.
The U.S. team's gold medal from the 2000 Olympics was also taken back. Even though Young only ran in an early round and not the final race, the entire team was affected. Later, other members of his relay teams from the Olympics and World Championships also admitted to breaking rules, which led to more medals being stripped from the teams.
Life After Running
Jerome Young now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. He uses his knowledge of running to help young athletes as a sprinting coach at Millbrook High School. He also works as a special education teacher at the school.
List of Canceled Wins
These are some of the international medals Young won with his team that were later taken away because of the rule violations.
- 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece
- 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal
- 1998 IAAF World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa
- 400 m. silver medal
- 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada
- 4 × 400 m. relay gold medal
- 2001 World Indoor Championships in Lisbon, Portugal
- 4 × 400 m. relay silver medal
See also
- List of stripped Olympic medals
- List of World Championships in Athletics medalists (men)
- Men's 4 × 400 metres relay world record progression
- United States at the World Athletics Championships
