Linford Christie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Linford Christie
OBE

Christie in 2009
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1960-04-02) 2 April 1960 (age 65) Saint Andrew, Jamaica
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 2 0 World Championships 1 1 2 World Indoor Championships 0 2 0 European Championships 3 1 2 European Indoor Championships 3 0 1 Commonwealth Games 3 2 0 Total 11 8 5 Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona 100 m Silver 1988 Seoul 100 m Silver 1988 Seoul 4×100 m relay World Championships Gold 1993 Stuttgart 100 m Silver 1993 Stuttgart 4×100 m relay Bronze 1987 Rome 100 m Bronze 1991 Tokyo 4×100 m relay World Indoor Championships Silver 1991 Seville 60 m Silver 1991 Seville 200 m European Championships Gold 1986 Stuttgart 100 m Gold 1990 Split 100 m Gold 1994 Helsinki 100 m Silver 1990 Split 4×100 m relay Bronze 1990 Split 200 m Bronze 1986 Stuttgart 4×100 m relay European Indoor Championships Gold 1986 Madrid 200 m Gold 1988 Budapest 60 m Gold 1990 Glasgow 60 m Bronze 1988 Budapest 200 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 1990 Auckland 100 m Gold 1990 Auckland 4×100 m relay Gold 1994 Victoria 100 m Silver 1986 Edinburgh 100 m Silver 1986 Edinburgh 4×100 m relay
Updated on 20 July 2012.

Linford Christie is a famous British former sprinter and athletics coach. He was born in Jamaica on April 2, 1960. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships, and the Commonwealth Games.

Linford was the first European runner to finish the 100-meter race in under 10 seconds. He held the British record for the 100m for nearly 30 years. He also held world and European records in other sprint events. He is one of the most successful British athletes ever, winning 24 medals in total. In 1993, he was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. After retiring from running, he became a coach, helping athletes like Darren Campbell and Katharine Merry win Olympic and World medals.

Early Life and School Days

Linford Christie was born in Saint Andrew, Jamaica on April 2, 1960. He lived there with his grandmother until he was seven years old. Then, he moved to Acton, London, England, to live with his parents.

He went to Henry Compton Secondary School in London. He was very good at physical education. In 1977, he took part in the first ever London Youth Games. He also joined the Air Training Corps in 1978. Linford didn't start serious athletics training until he was 18.

Becoming a Professional Sprinter

Linford Christie's early running career wasn't very successful. He was a slow starter and didn't even make the Great Britain team for the 1984 Summer Olympics. But in 1979, he started working with coach Ron Roddan. With Ron's help, Linford improved his running technique and began to show his true talent.

In 1986, he surprised everyone by winning the 100m at the European Championships. He also came second in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games that year. At the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, Linford finished fourth in the 100m. He was later given the bronze medal.

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Linford won the silver medal in the 100m. His time was 9.97 seconds, which was a new European record. This was only the third time an athlete had run under 10 seconds in the 100m without winning the race.

In 1992, Linford Christie became the third British athlete to win the Olympic 100m gold medal. He won the title at the Barcelona Olympic Games. At 32 years old, he became the oldest Olympic 100m champion ever.

In 1993, he made history by becoming the first man to hold the Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth titles in the 100m at the same time. He won at the Stuttgart World Championships with his fastest time ever, 9.87 seconds. This time was the British record until 2023. Because of this amazing achievement, he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

The next year, in 1994, he successfully defended his Commonwealth title in Victoria. He ran the 100m in 9.91 seconds, his second fastest time.

At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Linford was trying to win his Olympic title again. However, he was disqualified from the final after making two false starts. He said he felt he reacted perfectly to the second start gun. Linford retired from international competitions in 1997.

Life After Running

After his running career, Linford Christie worked as a TV presenter. He appeared on BBC shows like Record Breakers and Garden Invaders. He also had a contract with BBC Sport. He spent less time in the public eye and focused on managing his own company.

In 1990, he started acting in the BBC show Grange Hill. Later, he also appeared in another BBC show called Hustle. In 2010, Linford was a contestant on the UK ITV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. He was the sixth person to leave the show.

In April 2006, it was announced that Linford Christie would be a senior mentor for athletes on the national team. He worked alongside other former athletes like Steve Backley, Daley Thompson, and Katharine Merry.

Linford Christie has eight children. His niece Rachel Christie was crowned Miss England in 2009. His godson Omari Patrick is a professional footballer. In 1993, Linford started a sports company called Nuff Respect with sprint-hurdler Colin Jackson. They even made a workout video together.

Achievements and Legacy

Linford Christie is proud of his running career. He said, "I will have no complaints if people remember me as one of the best athletes in the world." He still holds the British record for the 100m, with his time of 9.87 seconds from the 1993 World Championships. He was the third British person and fifth European to win the 100m at the Olympic Games. He was also the oldest male athlete to win the 100m at the Olympics, at 32 years old.

As of 2019, Linford's 100m record of 9.87 seconds makes him the third fastest European in history. He was the first European to run the 100m in under ten seconds. He broke the ten-second barrier nine times in his career. In the 1988 Olympic final, he was the first person to run under ten seconds and not win the race.

In the 4 × 100m relay, Linford Christie was the anchor runner. With his teammates Colin Jackson, Tony Jarrett, and John Regis, they set a European record of 37.77 seconds at the 1993 World Championships. This was a fantastic performance and is still one of the best by a non-United States relay team.

Linford also set a European record for the 60m indoor race with a time of 6.47 seconds in 1995. He also holds three world records for masters age groups (athletes over 35). He set a M35 world record in the 200m in 20.11 seconds in 1995. In 1997, he set the M35 indoor record for the 60m in 6.51 seconds.

In 1995, Linford Christie broke the world indoor record for the 200m with a time of 20.25 seconds. He is still one of the fastest sprinters of all time in that event.

Linford was given the MBE award in 1990 and the OBE award in 1998. In 1993, the West London Stadium, where he trained a lot, was renamed the Linford Christie Stadium in his honor. A large sculpture called B of the Bang was named after a famous quote by Linford Christie. It was built to celebrate the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. In 2010, he was added to the England Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was inducted into the London Youth Games Hall of Fame.

Statistics

Personal Best Times

Seasonal Best Times

International Competitions

National Titles Won

Linford Christie won many national championships in the UK. He earned 19 gold medals in outdoor championships. Eleven of these were at the AAA Championships, which were considered the most important national titles.

• UK Athletics Championships
  • 100 metres: 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
  • 200 metres: 1985 (shared with John Regis), 1988
• AAA Championships
  • 100 metres: 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990†, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996
  • 200 metres: 1988
• AAA Indoor Championships
  • 60 metres: 1989, 1990, 1991
  • 200 metres: 1981, 1982, 1985†, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991
• † Christie was the top Briton behind Mel Lattany at the 1985 AAA Indoor 200 m
• †† Christie was the top Briton behind Calvin Smith at the 1990 AAA 100 m

Circuit Wins

100 metres

• Gateshead: 1985, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996
• Meeting de Atletismo Madrid: 1986
• Prague: 1987
• Budapest: 1987
• Birmingham: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992
• London: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996
• Meeting Nikaïa: 1988
• Sheffield: 1991, 1993
• Notturna di Milano: 1992
• Cena Slovenska - Slovak Gold: 1992
• Golden Gala: 1992, 1993, 1997
• Bislett Games: 1992, 1993, 1995
• ISTAF Berlin: 1992
• Memorial Van Damme: 1993, 1994, 1995
• Gran Premio Diputación: 1994
• Live Nuremberg: 1994
• Weltklasse Zürich: 1994, 1995
• Toto International Super Meeting: 1994, 1995
• Perth Track Classic: 1995, 1996
• Meeting Lille-Métropole: 1995
• Rieti Meeting: 1995
• Melbourne Track Classic: 1997
• Adriaan Paulen Memorial: 1997

200 metres

• Gateshead: 1987, 1990
• Prague: 1987
• Birmingham: 1987, 1988, 1989
• Bislett Games: 1987
• Athens IAAF Indoor Meeting: 1987
• Indoor Flanders Meeting: 1988, 1991, 1994
• Cosford Indoor Games: 1988, 1989
• Sparkassen Cup: 1989, 1997
• London: 1991
• Weltklasse in Köln: 1993
• Meeting Pas de Calais: 1995
• Meeting Lille-Métropole: 1995

60 metres

• Glasgow International Match: 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995
• Cosford Indoor Games: 1989, 1990
• Sparkassen Cup: 1989, 1997
• Athens IAAF Indoor Meeting: 1989
• Indoor Flanders Meeting: 1991, 1994
• Sindelfingen Leichtathletik Grand Prix: 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997
• Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix: 1992, 1994
• Memorial José María Cagigal: 1994
• Gunma International: 1995
• Meeting Pas de Calais: 1995

Awards and Recognition

• European Athlete of the Year trophy: 1993
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award: 1993

Images for kids

• 

  B of the Bang: a sculpture named after a Christie quotation

See also

In Spanish: Linford Christie para niños

• List of men's Olympic and World Championship athletics sprint champions
• List of 1988 Summer Olympics medal winners
• List of 1992 Summer Olympics medal winners
• List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
• List of World Athletics Championships medalists (men)
• List of IAAF World Indoor Championships medalists (men)
• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics (men)
• List of European Athletics Championships medalists (men)
• List of European Athletics Indoor Championships medalists (men)
• List of 100 metres national champions (men)
• List of 200 metres national champions (men)
• 100 metres at the Olympics
• 4 × 100 metres relay at the Olympics
• 100 metres at the World Championships in Athletics
• 4 × 100 metres relay at the World Championships in Athletics
• Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World Athletics Championships
• List of world records in athletics
• List of world records in masters athletics
• List of European records in masters athletics
• List of masters athletes
• List of sports announcers
• List of RAF Cadets
• List of news media phone hacking scandal victims
• List of Oxford Street Christmas lights celebrities
• List of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! contestants (UK)
• List of Jamaican British people
• British African-Caribbean people