Merlene Ottey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Honourable
Merlene Ottey
ON OJ OD

Merlene Ottey in Warsaw, Poland, in September 2011
Personal information
Birth name	Merlene Joyce Ottey
Full name	Merlene Joyce Ottey
Citizenship	Jamaican (birth), Slovenia (since May 2002)
Born	(1960-05-10) 10 May 1960 (age 65) Cold Spring, Hanover, Colony of Jamaica, British Empire
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Spouse(s)	Nat Page (1984–1987; divorced)
Sport
Country	Jamaica (1978–2002) Slovenia (2002–2012)
Sport	Athletics
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games (9 medals) 0 3 6 World Championships (14 medals) 3 4 7 World Indoor Championships (7 medals) 3 2 2 Total (30 medals) 6 9 15 Olympic Games Silver 1996 Atlanta 100 m Silver 1996 Atlanta 200 m Silver 2000 Sydney 4x100 m relay Bronze 1980 Moscow 200 m Bronze 1984 Los Angeles 100 m Bronze 1984 Los Angeles 200 m Bronze 1992 Barcelona 200 m Bronze 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m relay Bronze 2000 Sydney 100 m World Championships Gold 1991 Tokyo 4x100 m relay Gold 1993 Stuttgart 200 m Gold 1995 Gothenburg 200 m Silver 1983 Helsinki 200 m Silver 1993 Stuttgart 100 m Silver 1995 Gothenburg 100 m Silver 1995 Gothenburg 4x100 m relay Bronze 1983 Helsinki 4x100 m relay Bronze 1987 Rome 100 m Bronze 1987 Rome 200 m Bronze 1991 Tokyo 100 m Bronze 1991 Tokyo 200 m Bronze 1993 Stuttgart 4x100 m relay Bronze 1997 Athens 200 m World Indoor Championships Gold 1989 Budapest 200 m Gold 1991 Seville 200 m Gold 1995 Barcelona 60 m Silver 1987 Indianapolis 200 m Silver 1991 Seville 60 m Bronze 1989 Budapest 60 m Bronze 2003 Birmingham 60 m Commonwealth Games Gold 1982 Brisbane 200 m Gold 1990 Auckland 200 m Gold 1990 Auckland 100 m Silver 1982 Brisbane 100 m Bronze 1982 Brisbane 4x100 m relay Pan American Games Silver 1979 San Juan 4x100 m relay Bronze 1979 San Juan 200 m

Merlene Joyce Ottey (born May 10, 1960) is a famous former track and field sprinter. She started her amazing career representing Jamaica in 1978. For 24 years, she ran for Jamaica. Then, from 2002 to 2012, she represented Slovenia.

Merlene is one of the fastest sprinters ever. She holds the world indoor record for the 200 metres, which she set in 1993 with a time of 21.87 seconds. She was named Jamaica's Sportswoman of the Year an incredible 13 times between 1979 and 1995.

She had the longest career as a top international sprinter. She started at the 1979 Pan American Games when she was just 19. She finished her career at age 52, running in the 4x100 metre relay at the 2012 European Athletics Championships.

Merlene Ottey has won nine Olympic medals, including three silver and six bronze. She holds the record for the most Olympic appearances by any track and field athlete, competing in seven Olympic Games. She also won 14 medals at the World Championships. She holds the record for the most medals in individual events with 10. Because of her many achievements and long career, people called her the "Queen of the Track." Since she won so many bronze medals, she was also known as the "Bronze Queen."

Merlene Ottey's Early Life and Sprinting Career

Merlene Ottey was born in Cold Spring, Hanover, Jamaica. Her mother first introduced her to the sport of track and field. She even bought Merlene a book about it!

In her early school years, Merlene went to Gurneys Mount and Pondside Schools. Later, she attended Rusea's and Vere Technical High Schools. She often ran in local races without shoes.

Merlene found her inspiration by listening to the 1976 Summer Olympics on the radio. She heard Donald Quarrie run in the sprint finals. Her athletics career really took off when she moved to the US in 1979. She joined the track team at the University of Nebraska.

College Achievements and Awards

At the University of Nebraska, Merlene won 14 individual national titles. She also earned 24 All-America awards. Both of these are the most by any student-athlete at the university.

Merlene won many NCAA titles in her five seasons. This included five indoor and outdoor titles in 1982. She also won four titles in 1981. She earned multiple All-America awards every season. She still holds Nebraska's top indoor records in the 55- and 200-metre dashes. She also holds the outdoor records in the 100- and 200-metre dashes.

Representing Jamaica and Olympic Success

Merlene represented Jamaica at the 1979 Pan American Games. She won a bronze medal in the 200 metres. She later graduated from university with a degree in arts.

At the 1980 Moscow Games, Merlene made history. She became the first female English-speaking athlete from the Caribbean to win an Olympic medal. Back in Jamaica, she received special awards for her achievements in sports.

In the 1982 Commonwealth Games, Merlene won a gold medal in the 200 metres. She also won a silver medal in the 100 metres. Almost ten years later, at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, she won gold in both events again! After winning a gold medal at the 1993 World Championships, she was named an Ambassador of Jamaica.

Olympic Medals and World Records

Throughout her career, Merlene won nine Olympic medals. This ties her with Allyson Felix for the most by any woman in track and field history. She earned three silver and six bronze medals. She never won an Olympic gold medal, but she came very close!

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, she lost the 100m final by just five-thousandths of a second. She and Gail Devers both had the same time of 10.94 seconds. This was not even her closest race with Devers. In the 1993 World Championships, Merlene finished just one-thousandth of a second behind Devers. This is still the closest finish ever at an international athletics meet.

Merlene competed in seven Olympic Games from 1980 to 2004. This is the second most appearances by any track and field athlete. She held the record for most World Championship medals, winning 14. This included three gold, three silver, and eight bronze medals. Allyson Felix later broke this record. However, Merlene still holds the record for most World Championship medals in individual events, with 10.

Merlene Ottey's Time in Slovenia

In 1998, Merlene Ottey moved to Slovenia. She started training with Slovene coach Srđan Đorđević. At this time, she was still running for Jamaica. However, in May 2002, she became a citizen of Slovenia. She then lived in Ljubljana and represented Slovenia in international events.

Merlene competed for Slovenia at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She ran in the 100 metres and reached the semifinals. She finished 5th, just missing out on the final by a tiny amount. At 46 years old, she competed in the 2006 European Championships in Athletics. She finished fifth in the 100 metres semi-finals.

At age 48 in 2008, Merlene just missed qualifying for her eighth Olympic Games. But two years later, she joined the Slovenian 4x100-metre relay team. She competed at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. This made her the oldest athlete ever to participate in the history of the European championships!

At 52 years old, Merlene competed in the 4x100 metres relay at the 2012 European Athletics Championships. Since 2014, Merlene Ottey has lived in Switzerland.

Merlene Ottey's Records and Achievements

Ottey at the 2011 European Team Championships in İzmir

• Merlene Ottey is ranked among the top ten all-time for both the 200 metres and 100 metres.
• In 1990, she won the World Athlete of the Year award.
• She was the first female athlete to run 60 metres in under seven seconds (6.96 in 1992).
• Merlene is the only woman to have run the 200 metres indoors in under 22 seconds (21.87 in 1993).
• She has run the 100 metres under eleven seconds 68 times. This is a record for female sprinters.
• She has run the 200 metres under twenty-two seconds 16 times. This is another record for female sprinters.
• Merlene has 57 consecutive wins in the 100 metres. This is the most consecutive wins for a female sprinter. She also has 34 consecutive wins at 200 metres.
• She holds World Masters Athletics world records for older age groups (W35, W40, W45, W50) in the 100m and 200m.
• Merlene was the first athlete from the Western Hemisphere (outside the USA) to win two individual medals at the same Olympic Games.
• At the 1995 World Championships, she became the oldest female gold medallist. She won the 200m at 35 years old.
• At the 1997 World Championships, she became the oldest female medallist ever at 37 years old.
• In the 2000 Olympics, at age 40, she became the oldest female track and field medalist.
• Merlene Ottey, along with Carl Lewis, Usain Bolt, and Allyson Felix, is one of only four athletes to win twenty or more medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships combined.
• She holds the record for the fastest women's Indoor 200 metres in 21.87 seconds. This record has stood since 1993.
• In six World Championships for Jamaica, she won fourteen medals: three gold, four silver, and seven bronze. At the Olympics, she earned three silver and six bronze medals.
• Merlene was the first female Caribbean athlete to win an Olympic medal.
• She has won the most career Olympic medals (9 medals: 3 silver and 6 bronze) in women's track and field. This record is now shared with American sprinter Allyson Felix.
• She has won the Jamaican Sportsperson of the Year award a record 13 times. No other person, male or female, has won it more.

International Competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
Representing  Jamaica
1978	CAC Junior Championships (U-20)	Xalapa, Mexico	3rd	200 m	25.34s A
			1st	4x100 m relay	47.12s A
			2nd	4x400 m relay	3:58.8 A
1979	CARIFTA Games (U-20)	Kingston, Jamaica	2nd	100 m	11.87s
			2nd	200 m	24.05s
			2nd	4x100 m relay	46.47s
	Pan American Games	San Juan, Puerto Rico	3rd	200 m	22.79w
1980	Olympic Games	Moscow, Soviet Union	3rd	200 m	22.20
			6th	4x100 m	43.19
			heats	4x400 m	3.31.5
1982	Commonwealth Games	Brisbane, Australia	2nd	100m	11.03
			1st	200 m	22.19w
			3rd	4x100 m	43.69
1983	World Championships	Helsinki, Finland	4th	100 m	11.19
			2nd	200 m	22.19
			3rd	4x100 m	42.73
1984	Olympic Games	Los Angeles, United States	3rd	100 m	11.16
			3rd	200 m	22.09
			8th	4x100 m	53.54
1987	World Indoor Championships	Indianapolis, United States	4th	60 m	7.13
			2nd	200 m	22.66
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	3rd	100 m	11.04
			3rd	200 m	22.06
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	DNS (sf)	100 m	11.03 (qf)
			4th	200 m	21.99
			DNS (f)	4x100 m	43.30 (sf)
1989	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	3rd	60 m	7.10
			1st	200 m	22.34
1990	Commonwealth Games	Auckland, New Zealand	1st	100 m	11.02w
			1st	200 m	22.76
1991	World Indoor Championships	Seville, Spain	2nd	60 m	7.08
			1st	200 m	22.24
	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	3rd	100 m	11.06
			3rd	200 m	22.21
			1st	4x100 m	41.94
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	5th	100 m	10.88
			3rd	200 m	22.09
				4x100 m	DNF
1993	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	2nd	100 m	10.82
			1st	200 m	21.98
			3rd	4x100 m	41.94
1994	World Cup	London, United Kingdom	1st	200 m	22.23
1995	World Indoor Championships	Barcelona, Spain	1st	60 m	6.97
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	2nd	100 m	10.94
			1st	200m	22.12
			2nd	4x100 m	42.25
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	2nd	100 m	10.94
			2nd	200 m	22.24
			3rd	4x100 m	42.24
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	7th	100 m	11.29
			3rd	200 m	22.40
1998	Goodwill Games	New York City, United States	4th	100 m	11.21
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	3rd	100 m	11.19
			2nd	4x100 m	42.13
Representing  Slovenia
2003	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	3rd	60 m	7.20
	World Championships	Paris, France	11th (sf)	100 m	11.26
			16th (qf)	200 m	23.22
			heats	4x100 m	DISQ
2004	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	9th (sf)	60 m	7.21
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	10th (sf)	100 m	11.21
			DNF (sf)	200 m	22.72 (h)
2006	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	10th (sf)	100 m	11.44
2007	European Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	19th (h)	60 m	7.33
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	38th (h)	100 m	11.64
2010	European Championships	Barcelona, Spain	13th (h)	4x100 m	44.30
2012	European Championships	Helsinki, Finland	11th (h)	4x100 m	44.28
(#) Indicates overall position in qualifying heats (h) quarterfinals (qf) or semifinals (sf). DNF = did not finish DNS = did not start

Images for kids

• 

  Merlene Ottey in Warsaw, Poland, in September 2011

See also

In Spanish: Merlene Ottey para niños

• List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
• List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists