Merlene ottey autobiography templates
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She was presented with the Officer of the Order of Nation and the Order of Distinction in Jamaica for her service to the field of sport.
Over her career, Ottey won nine Olympic medals in seven Games, setting a record for track and field athletes. In all, Ottey won 14 medals at the Worlds, with three golds, four silvers, and seven bronze medals between 1983 and 1997.
Ottey has had the longest top-level international sprint career in history, first appearing in the 1979 Pan Am Games when she was 19 years old and ending her career at the age of 57 by anchoring the Slovenian 4×100-meter relay team at the European Championships in 2012. She also won 14 World Championship medals, including three gold medals, which was the highest total of any athlete in history.
Ottey made her Olympic debut in 1980, becoming the first woman from the English-speaking Caribbean to win a medal at the Games – a bronze medal in the 200 meters. Otteybegan her careerrepresentingJamaica but since 2002 has represented Slovenia, where she now resides.
Her worldindoorrecord for 200 metres, set in 1993, still stands.
Ottey has had the longestcareer as a top levelinternational sprinter, whichapparently has not yet concluded as she anchored the Slovenian 4x100 relay at the 2012 EuropeanAthleticsChampionships at the age of 52. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska in 1979, where she became the most decorated collegiate athlete in history.
She is rankedfourth on the all-time list over 60 metres, sixth on the all-time list over 100 metres and third on the all-time list over 200 metres. Her proclivity for earningbronzemedals in majorchampionships also earned her the title of "Bronze Queen" in track circles.
Ottey was formerlymarried to the American high jumper and 400 m hurdler Nat Page and was known as Merlene Ottey-Page during the mid-eighties.
- Born
- May 10, 1960
Hanover Parish - Also known as
- Spouses
- Nationality
- Profession
- Education
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln
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Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Merlene Ottey, Jamaica – Caribbean Woman of Influence
Merlene Joyce Ottey was born in Cold Spring, Hanover, Jamaica in 1960.
Ottey is one of only four athletes to win 20 or more medals at the Olympics and World Championships combined.
Photo – Merlene Ottey FB
Merlene Ottey was one of the great women sprinters of all-time, her career marred only by her failure to win an Olympic gold medal. Ottey’s cousin, Milt Ottey, was also an Olympian, competing in the high jump for Canada in 1984 and 1988.
Personal Bests: 100 – 10.74 (1996); 200 – 21.64 (1991); 400 – 51.12 (1983).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 Summer Olympics | Athletics | JAM | Merlene Ottey | ||
| 200 metres, Women(Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | 6 | |||
| 4 × 400 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | 4 h1 r1/2 | |||
| 1984 Summer Olympics | Athletics | JAM | Merlene Ottey-Page | ||
| 100 metres, Women(Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | |||
| 200 metres, Women(Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | 8 | |||
| 4 × 400 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | ||||
| 1988 Summer Olympics | Athletics | JAM | Merlene Ottey | ||
| 100 metres, Women(Olympic) | 2 h1 r2/4 | ||||
| 200 metres, Women(Olympic) | 4 | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | 3 h1 r2/3 | |||
| 1992 Summer Olympics | Athletics | JAM | Merlene Ottey | ||
| 100 metres, Women(Olympic) | 5 | ||||
| 200 metres, Women(Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | AC r2/2 | |||
| 1996 Summer Olympics | Athletics | JAM | Merlene Ottey | ||
| 100 metres, Women(Olympic) | 2 | Silver | |||
| 200 metres, Women(Olympic) | 2 | Silver | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | 3 | Bronze | ||
| 2000 Summer Olympics | Athletics | JAM | Merlene Ottey | ||
| 100 metres, Women(Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | |||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women(Olympic) | Jamaica | 2 | Silver | ||
| 2004 Summer Olympics | Athletics | SLO | Merlene Ottey | ||
| 100 metres, Women(Olympic) | 5 h2 r3/4 | ||||
| 200 metres, Women(Olympic) | AC h1 r3/4 |
Other participations
Olympic family relations
List mentions
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Athletics Championships (3–4–7 1983 Helsinki silver: 200 m, bronze: 4×100 m relay (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1987 Rome bronze: 100 m and 200 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1991 Tokyo gold: 4×100 m relay, bronze: 100 m and 200 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1993 Stuttgart gold: 200 m, silver: 100 m, bronze: 4×100 m relay (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1995 Göteborg gold: 200 m, silver: 100 m and 4×100 m relay (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1997 Athens bronze: 200 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships (3–2–2 1987 Indianapolis silver: 200 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1989 Budapest gold: 200 m, bronze: 60 m; 1991 Sevilla gold: 200 m, silver: 60 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1995 Barcelona gold: 60 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 2003 Birmingham bronze: 60 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Slovenia))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Pan American Games (0–1–1 1979 San Juan ATH silver: 4×100 m relay, bronze: 200 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the British Empire/Commonwealth Games (3–1–1 1982 Brisbane ATH gold: 200 m, silver: 100 m, bronze: 4×100 m relay (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica); 1990 Auckland ATH gold: 100 m and 200 m (competed as Merlene Ottey for Jamaica))
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Ottey attended Gurneys Mount and Pondside Schools and graduated from Rusea’s and Vere Technical High Schools where she was a frequent competitor in foot races.She is ranked fourth on the all-time list in the indoor 60-meter distance, eighth over 100 meters, and sixth over the 200 meters. Further these were won over a remarkably long career, which saw her win her first Olympic medal in 1980 (200 metre bronze) and her final one in 2000 (4×100 relay silver with Jamaica). Between 1979 and 1995, Ottey was named the Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year 13 times.
Her careerachievements and longevity have led to her beingcalled the "Queen of the Track". She was also one of the first two women to compete in seven Olympics, along with Italian canoeist Josefa Idem-Guerrini. A nine-time Olympic medallist, she holds the record for the most Olympicappearances of any track and fieldathlete and for winning the largestnumber of WorldChampionships medals.
Ottey’s final appearance in 2004 came representing Slovenia. Through 2004, she competed in seven Olympic Games, consecutively from 1980-2004, making her, through 2020, the only women in athletics to compete at seven Games. At career’s end, Merlene Ottey had won more Olympic medals in track & field athletics than any woman, with nine, with three silver and six bronze medals (later bettered by Allyson Felix).
Ottey adopted Slovene nationality on 27 October 2002, following a dispute with the Jamaican federation over her participation at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Primarily a 200 metre runner, Ottey did win the World Championships at that distance in 1993 and 1995, adding a gold in the 1991 4x100 relay. She holds the world indoor record in the 200 meters with a time of 21.87 seconds, which she set in 1993.