Randy Givens facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Randy Givens

Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Gold	1983 Caracas	200 m
Gold	1983 Caracas	4 × 100 m relay
Silver	1987 Indianapolis	200 m
Universiade
Silver	1983 Edmonton	100 m
Gold	1983 Edmonton	200 m
Gold	1983 Edmonton	4 × 100 m relay

Randy Jenelle Givens (born March 27, 1962) is an American former track and field athlete. She was a very fast runner who specialized in sprinting events. Randy Givens competed in major international events.

She was a finalist in the 200-meter race at the 1984 Summer Olympics. She also represented the United States at the first-ever 1983 World Championships in Athletics. Givens won a gold medal in the 200-meter race at the 1983 Pan American Games. She later earned a silver medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. Her fastest times were 11.06 seconds for the 100-meter dash and 22.31 seconds for the 200-meter dash.

Randy Givens was also a star college athlete. She competed for the Florida State Seminoles team. In 1984, she won four sprint titles at the NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also won multiple medals at the 1983 Summer Universiade. This included gold medals in the 200-meter race and a relay event.

Early Life and College Sports

Randy Givens was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. She grew up in Amityville, New York. She attended Amityville Memorial High School. From 1980 to 1984, she went to Florida State University. There, she competed for the Florida State Seminoles track team.

Her college team was very strong. It included other Olympic sprinters like Marita Payne and Michelle Finn-Burrell. Randy first competed in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). This was a sports group for women's college teams. In 1981, she reached the final of the 300-meter dash indoors. She also helped her team win the 4 × 200-meter relay. She repeated this success outdoors, winning the 4 × 100-meter relay. She also placed third in the 200-meter dash.

In 1982, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) started women's track competitions. Givens competed at the NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She finished third in the 200-meter race. She was also seventh in the 100-meter dash. Her relay teams placed second in both the 4 × 100-meter and 4 × 400-meter relays. These results helped the Florida State Seminoles track and field team finish third overall. She also won the 100-meter college race at the Penn Relays that year.

At the 1983 NCAA Championships, she was third in the 200-meter race again. She improved to sixth in the 100-meter dash. She also won both relay titles. This helped the Seminoles team finish second behind the UCLA Bruins.

Her best college year was 1984. At the 1984 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she won four sprint titles. She won the 100-meter, 200-meter, 4 × 100-meter relay, and mile relay races. The Florida State women's team won their first NCAA title easily. They were more than twenty points ahead of the Tennessee Volunteers. Givens also won the Broderick Award (now called the Honda Sports Award) for track and field that year.

During her time at Florida State, she set school records. These included the 100-meter (11.06 seconds) and 200-meter (22.31 seconds) races. She also set records in indoor 300-yard and 300-meter dashes. As of 2015, these indoor records still stand at Florida State. She was inducted into the Florida State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989. After college, she was part of the Puma Track Club.

National and International Competitions

Randy Givens often reached the finals at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She placed fifth in the 200-meter race in 1980 and 1981. In 1982, she earned her first national medal, finishing third. At the 1983 USA Championships, she ran her fastest 200-meter race (22.31 seconds) to place fourth. She was also fifth in the 100-meter race.

At the 1984 United States Olympic Trials, she finished third in the 200-meter race. This earned her a spot on the Olympic team. She was also fifth in the 100-meter race. After missing the 1985 season, she had her best national finish in 1986. She placed second in the 200-meter race behind Pam Marshall. Her last national final was in 1987, where she finished eighth in the 200-meter race.

Givens' international career started while she was still in college. She competed at the 1983 Summer Universiade. This is a major sports event for college students. She won a gold medal in the 200-meter race. She was the first American woman to win this title at the Universiade. She also won a silver medal in the 100-meter race. She earned another gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay.

After her strong performance at the national championships, she was chosen for the first 1983 World Championships in Athletics. Her time of 23.01 seconds in her heat was briefly a championship record. Givens reached the semi-finals of the 200 meters and finished 13th overall. She was also part of the relay team. However, the American women's relay team did not advance past the first round.

The 1983 Pan American Games happened shortly after. Givens won the 200-meter title there. She also won a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay. Her relay teammates were Jackie Washington, Alice Jackson, and Brenda Cliette.

Her third-place finish at the Olympic Trials led her to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She steadily improved through the rounds of the Olympic 200-meter race. She finished sixth in the final with a time of 22.36 seconds. This was her second-fastest time ever.

After graduating from Florida State, Givens competed in two more big international events. At the 1986 Goodwill Games, she placed fifth in the 200-meter race. She also won a gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay. Her relay teammates included Michelle Finn, Diane Williams, and Evelyn Ashford. She returned to the 1987 Pan American Games to defend her 200-meter title. She won a silver medal, finishing second to Gwen Torrence.

Personal Bests

• 100-meter dash – 11.06 seconds (1984)
• 200-meter dash – 22.31 seconds (1983)

National Titles

• NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
  • 100-meter dash: 1984
  • 200-meter dash: 1984
  • 4 × 100-meter dash: 1983, 1984
  • 4 × 400-meter/mile relay: 1983, 1984

International Results