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 OBE (born 2 April 1960) is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter and athletics coach. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He was the first European athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m and held the British record in the event for close to 30 years. He is a former world indoor record holder over 200 metres, and a former European record holder in the 60 metres, 100 m and 4 × 100 metres relay.

He remains one of the most highly decorated British athletes of all-time. By the end of his track career Christie had won 24 medals overall, more than any other British male athlete before or since. In 1993 he was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Christie tested positive for a banned stimulant in 1988 during the Seoul Olympics. In 1999 he was suspended for two years by the IAAF after the banned substance nandrolone was found in a test, although he had been effectively in retirement since 1997.

As a coach, two of his charges, Darren Campbell and Katharine Merry, went on to win Olympic and World medals.

Early life and education

Christie was born on 2 April 1960 in Saint Andrew, Jamaica, where he was brought up by his maternal grandmother. At the age of seven he joined his parents, who had emigrated to Acton, London, England, five years before. He was educated at Henry Compton Secondary School in Fulham, London and excelled in physical education. He competed in the very first London Youth Games in 1977 for the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. He also joined the Air Training Corps in 1978, 336 (Hammersmith) Squadron. He did not take up athletics seriously until he was 18.

Professional athletics career

Christie's early track career was not particularly promising. A comparatively slow starter, he failed to make the Great Britain team for the 1984 Summer Olympics, not even being included in the sprint relay squad. It was not until some years after he had begun to work in earnest on his running technique under the coaching guidance of Ron Roddan in 1979 that he fulfilled his potential.

In 1986, he was the surprise winner of the 100 m at the European Championships and finished second in the same event at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, behind Ben Johnson. At the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, Christie came fourth in the 100 m, but was later awarded the bronze medal, when winner Johnson was disqualified after admitting years of steroid use.

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Christie won the 100 m silver behind Carl Lewis after Johnson, who set a world record in 9.79 seconds, was again disqualified following a positive drug test. Christie's time was 9.97 seconds, a new European record by 0.03 seconds and this was only the third time that an athlete had broken the ten second barrier in the 100 metres without winning the race.

In 1992, Christie became the third British athlete to win the Olympic 100 m, after Harold Abrahams and Allan Wells, winning the title ahead of Frankie Fredericks of Namibia at the Barcelona Olympic Games. In the absence of his great rival Lewis, Christie ran 9.96 s in the final, and at the age of 32 years 121 days became the oldest Olympic 100 m champion by four years and 38 days.

In 1993, he became the first man in history to hold the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles in the 100m as he was victorious at the Stuttgart World Championships in his fastest ever time of 9.87. The time stood as the British record until 2023. His achievement saw him being voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year by the British public that year.

The following year, in 1994, he defended his Commonwealth title in Victoria in his second fastest ever 100 m time of 9.91.

Defending his Olympic title in 1996, Christie was disqualified in the final after two false starts. He said: "The first one I knew I did, but on the second one I felt I reacted perfectly to the gun. I have never been disqualified from a race before in my life. What a place to do it." His reaction time was 0.086 seconds. Under IAAF rules, sprinters are not allowed to start from their blocks faster than 0.1 seconds.

Christie retired from representative international competition in 1997, although he continued to make appearances at invitation meetings.

Doping allegations and ban

Early allegations

Christie faced an International Olympic Committee disciplinary hearing at the 1988 Seoul Olympics because of an adverse drug test for the banned stimulant pseudoephedrine after he ran in the heats of the 200m. He escaped sanction after the committee voted by a margin of 11 to 10 and gave Christie "the benefit of the doubt." Christie argued that he had taken it inadvertently when drinking some ginseng tea.

At the 1994 European championships staged in Helsinki, where British team captain Christie won his third European 100 m title, he was caught up in a doping controversy after Solomon Wariso, a 400 m runner making his international championship debut, tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine. Wariso revealed that he had used an over-the-counter pick-you-up called "Up Your Gas", which Christie had bought at a Florida pharmacy.

In 1998, less than six months before his first positive drug test, Christie won a libel action against the journalist John McVicar. McVicar had insinuated in a satirical magazine that Christie's remarkable rise from 156th in the world to triumph at an age when he should have been in decline could only have been achieved through performance-enhancing drugs. The jury found in Christie's favour by a 10–2 majority. The judge ordered that McVicar should be bound by an injunction restraining him from accusing Christie of taking banned substances. The modest £40,000 damages awarded were outweighed by the legal costs that Christie incurred to bring the case. After the judgment, McVicar called Christie "The Judy Garland of the 100 metres", referring to the emotion that Christie had displayed before the court.

Retirement

Following the two-year ban, Christie worked as a presenter on the BBC programmes Record Breakers and Garden Invaders, and also had a contract with BBC Sport. He has spent less time as a public figure and has devoted most of his time to managing his company. In 1990 he made his acting debut in the BBC programme Grange Hill. Later he appeared in another BBC programme Hustle. In 2010, Christie appeared on the UK ITV television channel's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! show, subsequently becoming the sixth person to be eliminated, on 30 November 2010.

In the successful British bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, Christie was absent from the team, even though he has stated that he attempted to get involved. Christie has cited an ongoing feud between himself and former teammate Sebastian Coe, who led the bid committee, as a likely reason for the snub, Commenting on the argument, Christie's teammate, Derek Redmond, said he was "a well-balanced athlete; he has a chip on both shoulders."

However, in April 2006, it was announced that Christie would be a senior mentor for athletes on the national team, along with former athletes Steve Backley, Daley Thompson and Katharine Merry. This proved controversial however, due to Christie's 2 year ban in February 1997. "I don't think he should be in that mentor role," said Paula Radcliffe, the former women's marathon world record-holder. "We have to make sure that the people in that mentor role have an integrity and strong sense of ethics and morals."

The BOA has confirmed that their ban on Olympic accreditation for Christie remains in place. Christie claims that he was invited by London Mayor Ken Livingstone to be one of the carriers of the 2008 Olympic Torch on its journey through London, however Livingstone denies that he invited Christie to undertake this role. The IOC reacted angrily to any suggestion that "an athlete who has an Olympic ban" could have been invited to carry the Olympic torch.

In 2011, Christie was convicted of careless driving, after his vehicle crashed head-on into a taxi on 8 May 2010 due to driving on the wrong side of the A413 road in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire. Four people, including a newly-wed couple, were hurt.

Achievements and legacy

Reflecting upon his track career, he stated: "I will have no complaints if people remember me as one of the best athletes in the world." He remains the British record-holder at 100 m, with the 9.87 s he ran at the 1993 World Championships. He was the third Briton, after Harold Abrahams and Allan Wells, and the fifth European to win the 100 m at the Olympic Games, and the last to do so until 2021, when Italian Marcell Jacobs took the Olympic title in Tokyo in the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics. He remains the oldest male athlete to win the 100 metres at the Olympics at the age of 32.

As of 2019, Christie's British record of 9.87 seconds in the 100 metres makes him the third fastest European in history; after Francis Obikwelu's 9.86 s personal best which broke Christie's European record, and the same time achieved by French sprinter Jimmy Vicaut. His 100 m personal best fares favourably in comparison with his contemporaries: Carl Lewis and Frankie Fredericks managed 9.86 s while Leroy Burrell ran 9.85 s. Christie broke the ten-second barrier nine times, and was the first European to break the ten-second barrier. In the 1988 100 metres Olympic final, he became the first man to break the ten-second barrier and not win the race. In the 1991 World Championships 100 m final, he became the first man to break the ten-second barrier and come fourth, running 9.92 seconds.

In the 4 × 100 m relay event Christie's performance as anchor, alongside Colin Jackson, Tony Jarrett and John Regis, set a European record of 37.77 s at the 1993 World Championships. This was beaten six years later by a 37.73 s run by a British team, which included his protégé Darren Campbell. However, Christie's team's performance is still the second fastest 4 x 100 m performance by a European team and one of the best by a non-United States relay team.

Over 60m, Christie set a European record of 6.47 s in 1995 which was beaten by fellow Briton Jason Gardener in 1999 with 6.46 s. Christie has the fourth fastest time over the distance for a European after Gardener, Ronald Pognon and the current European record holder Dwain Chambers.

Christie also holds 3 current 35–39 masters age group world records. On 23 September 1995, Christie set a M35 world record of 9.97 in the 100 m which no longer stands. On 25 June 1995 he set the current M35 world record in the 200 m in 20.11 seconds and on 3 January 1997 Christie set the current indoor record in the M35 60 m in a time of 6.51 seconds.

Christie broke the world indoor record over 200 m with 20.25 s at Liévin in 1995, and remains the seventh fastest sprinter on the all-time list.

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

He was appointed MBE in 1990 and OBE in 1998. In 1993, the West London Stadium, where he spent much time training, was renamed the Linford Christie Stadium in his honour. Christie's claim that he started races on the "B of the Bang" inspired a large public sculpture of the same name. Erected as a celebration of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, it was officially unveiled by Christie in 2004. Owing to safety concerns, it was dismantled in 2009. In 2010, he was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2009, he was inducted into the London Youth Games Hall of Fame.

Statistics

Personal bests

• All information taken from IAAF and UK Athletics profiles.

Seasonal bests

• All information taken from IAAF and UK Athletics profiles.

International competitions

• All information taken from IAAF and UK Athletics profiles.

National titles

Christie competed during the era of dual national championships, whereby the winner at the nominally open AAA Championships was often recognised as the national champion, but a separate UK only event, the UK Athletics Championships, was also held, crowning a UK Athletics champion. Between both events, Christie accumulated 19 outdoor championship golds. Eleven of these golds were in the AAA championships which were broadly recognised as the more prestigious of the 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

• All information taken from IAAF and UK Athletics profiles.

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

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

Personal life

Linford Christie has eight children. His niece Rachel Christie was crowned Miss England in 2009 though later relinquished the title following allegations of assault. His godson Omari Patrick is a professional footballer.

In 1993 Christie formed a sports management and promotions company, Nuff Respect, with sprint-hurdler Colin Jackson. One of their early products was a sports training and workout video, The S Plan: Get Fit with Christie and Jackson. Jackson was later to leave the enterprise, saying "Linford has to be in control, he has to be number one, he has to be the leader."

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 doping cases in 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