Torri Edwards facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 31, 1977 Fontana, California |
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| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 127 lb (58 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 100 meters, 200 meters, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 100 m: 10.78 s 200 m: 22.18 s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Torri Edwards (born January 31, 1977) is an American sprinter. She is known for competing in the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Torri won an Olympic medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
In 2003, she had a very successful year. Torri won six medals in big international competitions. This included a gold medal at the World Championships. She also competed in the 100-meter race at the 2008 Olympic Games.
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Becoming a Sprinter
Torri Edwards started sprinting when she joined her school team. This was during her junior high years. When she attended Pomona High School, she was a good sprinter. Her best finish in a state meet was fourth place in the 200-meter race. This happened in her senior year.
After high school, Torri went to the University of Southern California. While there, she became an even better runner. She won the Pac-10 titles in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races for her university team.
Torri shared how important college was for her. She said, "Not until I got to college did I realize that I could be good." Winning those Pac-10 titles gave her a lot of confidence. She then started setting bigger and bigger goals for herself.
Olympic Challenges
Torri faced some challenges during her career. In 2004, she was not allowed to compete for a period of time. This meant she missed the 2004 Summer Olympics. She appealed this decision. An expert panel agreed that Torri had acted with "honesty, integrity and character." They said she did not try to gain an unfair advantage.
Her ban was later made shorter, from two years to 15 months. This was because the type of substance involved was reclassified. It came from pills she took for a minor illness. Even though the panel believed she took the pills by accident, the suspension was not completely removed. This was because the pills had a warning for athletes.
Torri was also part of the 2000 Olympic 4 × 100-meter relay team. For a time, her medal from this event was taken away. This happened because a teammate had issues with rules. However, Torri and six other team members successfully appealed this decision in July 2010. They got their medals back.
2008 Olympic Race
At the 2008 Olympic finals for the women's 100 meters, Torri had a difficult race. She thought she had started too early. She hesitated because she expected the officials to call a false start.
Torri finished in eighth place with a time of 11.20 seconds. This was not her best performance. Her personal best time is 10.78 seconds. She explained, "I thought I moved before the gun." She added that she "kind of hesitated" and expected to hear a second gun. This "threw me off a lot."
Even though she thought she started early, her reaction time was 0.179 seconds. This was not the fastest or slowest among the runners. It is possible she twitched her upper body but her feet stayed still.
Another disappointment came in the 4 × 100-meter relay. The American team dropped the baton during the semi-final. This was due to a misunderstanding between Torri and her teammate, Lauryn Williams. Williams picked up the baton and finished last. However, the USA team was disqualified. This was because Williams had to run out of her lane to get the baton.
Personal Best Times
- 100 meters - 10.78 seconds (2008)
- 200 meters - 22.28 seconds (2003)
Major Competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia | 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | |
| 2003 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 2nd | 60 m | |
| World Championships | Paris, France | 1st | 100 m | 10.93 PB | |
| 2nd | 200 m | ||||
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | ||||
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 3rd | 100 m | ||
| 3rd | 200 m | ||||
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 8th | 100 m |
Coaching Career
After her running career, Torri Edwards became a track coach. She helped many young athletes improve their skills.
- From 2017 to 2022, Torri was a sprint track coach at North Carolina State University.
- She was also the head track coach at Kentucky State University from August 2015 to 2020.
- Before that, she worked with the UK Kentucky Wildcats track and field teams from 2013 to 2015.
- Coach Edwards also served as an assistant coach at Riverside Community College. While there, she helped the men's track and field team win conference and state titles in 2012 and 2013.
- She worked as a volunteer assistant at Cal Poly Pomona from 2012 to 2014. She helped Angela Garcia reach the NCAA Division II National Championships. Garcia also earned honors for her 100-meter and 200-meter events. In 2013, the Cal Poly Pomona men's team finished second in their conference. The women's team finished third, which was their best result in over ten years.
See also
In Spanish: Torri Edwards para niños
