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 Canadian former track and field athlete. She was an amazing sprinter who competed in two Summer Olympics. Marita 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, she moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to live with her parents. Later, her family settled in Concord, Ontario.

Marita went to Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute in Toronto. This is where she became a fantastic sprinter. In 1979, she won provincial championships in both the 100 metres and 200 metres races.

In 1980, Marita started studying at Florida State University (FSU) in the United States. She ran for the Seminoles track and field team. She was incredibly successful, earning the title of NCAA All-American 21 times! She won national championships in the 400 metres in 1982 and 1984. She also won relay championships multiple times. While at FSU, she met her future husband, Mitchell Wiggins, who played basketball for the university.

Marita's Running Career

Marita started competing for Canada in 1979 at the Pan American Games. There, she won a bronze medal with her team in the 4 × 400 metres relay race. In 1981, she helped the Americas team win another bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the IAAF World Cup in Rome. The next year, at the Commonwealth Games, she won a silver medal with the Canadian 4 × 100 metres relay team.

In 1983, Marita 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. That same year, she earned another silver medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the Pan American Games.

World Championships and Olympic Success

Marita 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 also did well, finishing fifth in the 4 × 100 metres and fourth in the 4 × 400 metres.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Marita won two silver medals! She earned a silver medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay with her teammates Charmaine Crooks, Jillian Richardson, and Molly Killingbeck. She also won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay with Angela Bailey, Angella Taylor-Issajenko, and France Gareau. In her individual 400 metres race, she finished fourth and set a new Canadian record of 49.91 seconds.

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

Marita and her relay teammates competed again at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. She retired from track and field shortly after these Olympics.

Life After Running

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

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

Family Life

Marita Payne is married to Mitchell Wiggins, a former NBA basketball player. Their son, Andrew Wiggins, was the first player chosen in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He later played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and now plays for the Golden State Warriors.

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

Achievements and Records

• Marita was a two-time Canadian 400 metres champion (1981, 1984).
• She holds the Canadian 400 metres record (49.91 seconds) with Jillian Richardson.
• She previously held the Canadian 200 metres record (22.62 seconds).

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Canada
1979	Pan American Games	San Juan, Puerto Rico	3rd	4 × 400 m	3:37.60
	World Cup	Montreal, Canada	4th	400 m	53.01
			5th	4 × 400 m	3:28.50
1981	World Cup	Rome, Italy	3rd	4 × 400 m	3:26.42
1982	Commonwealth Games	Brisbane, Australia	semi-final	400 m	54.06
			2nd	4 × 100 m	43.66
1983	Universiade (World Student Games)	Edmonton, Canada	2nd	200 m	22.62
			2nd	4 × 100 m	43.21
			2nd	4 × 400 m	3:25.26
	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	5th	400 m	50.06
			5th	4 × 100 m	43.05
			4th	4 × 400 m	3:27.57
	Pan American Games	Caracas, Venezuela	2nd	4 × 400 m	3:30.24
1984	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	4th	400 m	49.91
			2nd	4 × 100 m	42.77
			2nd	4 × 400 m	3:21.21
1986	Commonwealth Games	Edinburgh, Scotland	4th	400 m	52.00
			1st	4 × 400 m	3:28.92
1987	Pan American Games	Indianapolis, United States	2nd	4 × 400 m	3:29.18
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	semi-final	400 m	51.75
			4th	4 × 400 m	3:24.11
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	semi-final	400 m	50.29
			DNF	4 × 400 m	3:27.63 (in heat)

• The record of 22.25 seconds by Angella Taylor-Issajenko was later canceled because of rule violations.

See also

In Spanish: Marita Payne para niños

• Canadian records in track and field