Derrick Adkins

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Not to be confused with Derrick Atkins

Medal record
Derrick Adkins
Men's Athletics
Competitor for the United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1996 Atlanta	400 m hurdles
World Championships
Gold	1995 Gothenburg	400 m hurdles

Derrick R. Adkins (born July 2, 1970) is a former American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, attended Malverne High School, Derrick Adkins rose into the international athletics scene in 1991, when he finished third at the US National Championships and qualified to the 1991 World Championships, where he finished in the sixth place.

Adkins won the World Student Games in 1991 and 1993 and finished seventh at the 1993 World Championships. Adkins made a rapid improvement in 1994, when he won his first US National Championships. He repeated this win in the next year and at the 1995 World Championships he was already a main favourite to the gold medal. At Gothenburg, Adkins won his heat easily and in the final he won the gold narrowly ahead of his career long rival Samuel Matete from Zambia.

Prior to the Atlanta Olympics, Matete beat Adkins in four races out of five, but at the Olympic Games itself Adkins turned the tables on Matete, winning in a time of 47.54 and beating Matete to a second place by 0.24 seconds.

In 1997, Adkins was second at the US National Championships, but missed the final for the first time at a World Championships by finishing only fifth at the semi-final. Adkins was Assistant Coach of Columbia University's Track and Field team between 2004 and 2006.

On February 17 Adkins appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman showing his gold medal on "Show and Tell".

Adkins is currently the director of the New Balance Track and Field Armory center in New York City

Sporting positions
Preceded by Kevin Young	Men's 400m Hurdles Best Year Performance 1994	Succeeded by Stéphane Diagana
Preceded by Stéphane Diagana	Men's 400m Hurdles Best Year Performance 1996	Succeeded by Bryan Bronson