Marita Payne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marita Payne-Wiggins

Personal information
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1960-10-07) October 7, 1960 (age 64) Bridgetown, Barbados
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	100–400 m
Club	York Optimists/Concord
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m – 11.43 (1983) 200 m – 22.62 (1983) 400 m – 49.91 (1984)
Medal record Representing  Canada Olympic Games Silver 1984 Los Angeles 4×100 m relay Silver 1984 Los Angeles 4×400 m relay Commonwealth Games Gold 1986 Edinburgh 4×400 m relay Silver 1982 Brisbane 4×100 m relay Pan American Games Silver 1983 Caracas 4×400 m relay Silver 1987 Indianapolis 4×400 m relay Bronze 1979 San Juan 4×400 m relay Summer Universiade Silver 1983 Edmonton 200 m Silver 1983 Edmonton 4×100 m relay Silver 1983 Edmonton 4×400 m relay Representing Americas World Cup Bronze 1981 Rome 4×400 m relay

Marita Payne-Wiggins (born October 7, 1960) is a famous Canadian track and field athlete. She is known for her amazing speed in running events. Marita competed in two Summer Olympics for Canada. She holds the Canadian record in the 400 metres race, sharing it with Jillian Richardson. She also used to hold the Canadian record for the 200 metres.

Early Life and School Years

Marita Payne was born in Barbados. She spent her early childhood there. When she was nine, her parents moved to New York City for school and work. Marita later joined them, and her family settled in Toronto, Ontario, and then in Concord, Ontario.

Becoming a Star Sprinter

Marita went to Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute in Toronto. This is where she really started to shine as a sprinter. In 1979, she became an Ontario provincial champion. She won titles in both the senior 100 metres and 200 metres races.

University Athletics

In 1980, Marita started studying at Florida State University (FSU). She joined the Seminoles track and field team. She was an incredible athlete there, earning the title of NCAA All-American 21 times!

She won national championships in the 400 metres in 1982 and 1984. Marita also helped her relay teams win national titles. These included the 4 × 100 metres relay in 1981, 1983, and 1984. She also won the indoor 4 × 200 metres relay in 1981 and the 4 × 400 metres relay in 1983 and 1984. While at FSU, Marita met her husband, Mitchell Wiggins, who played basketball for the university.

Marita's Running Career

Marita Payne started competing for Canada in 1979 at the Pan American Games. There, she won a bronze medal with her 4 × 400 metres relay team. In 1981, she helped the Americas 4 × 400 metres relay team win a bronze medal at the IAAF World Cup in Rome.

The next year, at the Commonwealth Games, she won a silver medal. This was with the Canadian team in the 4 × 100 metres relay. She also reached the semi-finals in the 400 metres race.

Big Wins in 1983

In 1983, Marita had a very successful year. She won a silver medal in the 200 metres at the Universiade. She also helped Canada win silver medals in both the 4 × 100 and 4 × 400 metre relays at the same event. That year, she also earned a silver medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the Pan American Games.

Marita also competed in the very first World Championships in Helsinki. She finished fifth in the 400 metres race. This was the best performance by any non-European athlete in that event. She also set a new Commonwealth record with her time of 50.06 seconds. Her Canadian relay teams finished fifth in the 4 × 100 metres and fourth in the 4 × 400 metres.

Olympic Glory in 1984

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Marita Payne-Wiggins won two silver medals! She won a silver medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay with her teammates Charmaine Crooks, Jillian Richardson, and Molly Killingbeck.

She also won another silver medal with her teammates Angela Bailey, Angella Taylor-Issajenko, and France Gareau in the 4 × 100 metres relay. In her individual 400 metres race, she finished fourth. She also set a new Canadian record with a time of 49.91 seconds.

Later Career and Retirement

Marita helped the Canadian 4 × 400 metres relay team win a gold medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She also finished fourth in the individual 400 metres race there. In 1987, she won her second silver medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the Pan American Games.

A few weeks later, she reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres at the World Championships. Her 4 × 400 metres relay team, including Crooks, Killingbeck, and Richardson, finished fourth. The team reunited for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. However, they did not finish the relay final. Marita was also a semi-finalist in the individual 400 metres race. She retired from track and field shortly after these Olympics.

After Her Running Career

Marita Payne-Wiggins has been honored for her amazing sports career. In 1991, she was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame. Ten years later, in 2001, she was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.

The City of Vaughan, Ontario, even named a park after her! Marita Payne Park is in Concord, where she grew up. It is also close to her family's current home in Vaughan.

Personal Life

Marita Payne is married to Mitchell Wiggins, a former NBA basketball player. They have several children. Their son, Andrew, was chosen first overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He later played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and currently plays for the Miami Heat.

They also have two other sons, Nick, who played basketball for the Wichita State Shockers, and Mitchell II. Marita and Mitchell also have three daughters: Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya. Since 2002, the family has lived in Vaughan, Ontario.

Key Achievements

Marita Payne-Wiggins has many impressive achievements:

• She was a two-time Canadian 400 metres champion (in 1981 and 1984).
• She is a co-holder of the Canadian 400 metres record with Jillian Richardson (49.91 seconds).
• She previously held the Canadian 200 metres record (22.62 seconds).
• She won two silver medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 400 m relays.
• She won a gold medal at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in the 4 × 400 m relay.
• She earned multiple silver and bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, and Summer Universiade.

See also

In Spanish: Marita Payne para niños