Kevin Young (hurdler) facts for kids
.JPG)
Young in 2012
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 16, 1966 Watts, California, U.S. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 400 m hurdles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | UCLA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Santa Monica Track Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kevin C. Young (born September 16, 1966) is an American retired track and field athlete. He is famous for winning the 400 metres hurdles race at the 1992 Summer Olympics. In that race, he set a new world record and Olympic record of 46.78 seconds. This was the first time anyone had run the 400m hurdles in under 47 seconds! His world record stood for almost 29 years. It was finally broken by Karsten Warholm on July 1, 2021.
The year after his Olympic win, Kevin Young became the 400m hurdles world champion. He won at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics with a time of 47.18 seconds. He had a special way of running over the hurdles. He would switch between taking 12 and 13 steps between the hurdles. This was different from the 13-step technique that was popular at the time.
After 1993, Young's performance in races slowly declined. In 2006, he was honored by being added to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Contents
Career Highlights
Early Life and College Success
Kevin Young started his track career at Jordan High School in Los Angeles. He was good at the 110-meter hurdles. He finished third in a big California state competition in 1984.
He then went to UCLA. Even though he started as a "walk-on" (meaning he wasn't given a scholarship at first), he quickly became a star. In 1986, he won the Pac-10 400m hurdles title. He set a new record for that event at the time, finishing in 49.02 seconds.
Young continued to shine in college. At the 1987 NCAA championships, he won two titles: one in the 400-meter hurdles and another in the 4x400-meter relay. His relay team even set a new college record! In 1988, his senior year, he won his second NCAA 400m hurdles title. His UCLA relay team also became the first college team ever to run the 4x400m relay in under 3 minutes. Kevin Young finished his college career as one of the best male college athletes in the United States.
Kevin Young started competing internationally in 1986 at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow. He won a silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, he finished fourth. He was just behind Edwin Moses, who was a legendary hurdler.
Olympic Gold and World Record
In 1992, Kevin Young won his first USA national championship. He was unbeatable leading up to the Barcelona Olympics. In the Olympic final, he started in lane 4. He seemed to start a bit slower than others. But he quickly caught up. He used his special technique, switching between 12 and 13 steps between hurdles. He powered through the race, passing all his competitors.
Even though he hit the last hurdle slightly and raised his arm in celebration before the finish line, he still won! He set a new world record of 46.78 seconds. He was the very first person to run the 400m hurdles in less than 47 seconds. This amazing world record lasted for almost 30 years! It was finally broken by Karsten Warholm in 2021.
After his Olympic win, Kevin Young received the first-ever ESPY award for track and field from ESPN. It's said that before the 1992 season, Young would put small pieces of paper with "46.89" written on them into his running shoes. He truly believed he could run under 47 seconds!
In 1993, Young won his second US National Championships title. He had a streak of 25 wins in a row. This streak ended just before the 1993 World Championships in Athletics. But in the World Championships final, Young once again made a strong move and won the race. He beat Samuel Matete by 0.42 seconds.
Later Career and Retirement
After 1993, Kevin Young's racing career slowed down. He left his coach and faced some injuries. He still competed in a few races in 1994. He also spent time helping out in the Atlanta community, visiting Boys and Girls Clubs and helping with toy drives.
He had a knee injury that needed surgery. This made it hard for him to prepare for the Atlanta Olympic trials. He only made it to the semi-finals there. Years later, he continued to race in Europe and Israel. He never officially announced his retirement. He simply admired the new talented hurdlers and was proud of his own achievements. In 2006, he was inducted into the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Kevin Young is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is also an artist, and his artwork has been shown through the Art of the Olympians.
In December 2019, while he was a student at Swansea University, Kevin Young was a passenger on a bus that crashed. He suffered a head injury and two broken ribs. He tried to help other passengers after the accident.
Awards
- World Athletics Awards
- World Athlete of the Year (Men)：1992
