Torri Edwards

Torri Edwards
Personal information
Nationality United States
Born January 31, 1977 (1977-01-31) (age 35)
Sport
Sport Running
Event(s) 100 meters, 200 meters,
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)

100 m: 10.78 s

200 m: 22.28 s
Medal record
Women's athletics
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze 2000 Sydney 4x100 m relay
World Championships
Gold 2003 Paris 100 m
Gold 2007 Osaka 4x100 m relay
Silver 2003 Paris 200 m
Silver 2003 Paris 4x100 m relay
World Indoor Championships
Bronze 2003 Birmingham 60 metres
World Athletics Final
Bronze 2003 Monaco 100 metres
Bronze 2003 Monaco 200 metres

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Torri Edwards (born January 31, 1977)[1] is an American sprinter. She was a rising young star in 100 and 200 metres, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold. Edwards qualified to the 2008 Olympic Games at 100m meters and 4x100m relay.

Contents

Early career

Edwards states that she began sprinting when she joined her school team in junior high .[1] Edwards was an average sprinter when she attended Pomona High School, with her best state meet finish ever coming her senior year when she was fourth in the 200m. Edwards would then attend the University of Southern California.[2] That track season, she won the Pac-10 titles in both the 100m and 200m for USC.[1]

She states:

"Not until I got to college did I realize that I could be good," Edwards said. "Winning the Pac-10 titles gave me a big boost in confidence, and I found myself setting higher and higher goals."[1]

Doping Accusations

It later turned out that she had used the banned substance nikethamide. She was banned for two years effective from July 18, 2004, missing the 2004 Summer Olympics. In August 2004, Edwards appealed the ban, and an arbitration panel acknowledged that Edwards "conducted herself with honesty, integrity and character ... she has not sought to gain any improper advantage or to 'cheat' in any way." [1] In November 2005, her two-year ban was shortened when the World Anti-Doping Agency downgraded nikethamide infractions to maximum one-year suspensions.[1] The drug had come from pills she had taken at a meet in Martinique to combat a minor illness. Though arbitrators decided Edwards had taken the drug inadvertently, saying in their ruling that she had conducted herself with "honesty, integrity and character," they did not overturn the suspension, because the glucose tablets given to her by her doctor contained a warning for athletes advising that the pills could cause a positive doping test.[1] Therefore, Edwards did not take performance enhancement drugs to improve her performance.[1] However, since Edwards was a teammate of Marion Jones in the 2000 Olympic 4×100 meters relay, she was stripped of her medal following Jones's admission to using steroids during the games, though she and 6 other members of the 2000 team would successfully appeal this decision in July 2010.[3]

Personal bests

2008 Olympics

At the 2008 Olympic finals for the women's 100 meters, Edwards stated that she thought she had false started and apparently hesitated, believing that the officials were going to call a false start.

Edwards eventually finished 8th place with a time of 11.20, an under-par performance for the American sprinter, who has a best time of 10.78. Edwards states:

“I thought I moved before the gun,” Edwards said. “I kind of hesitated because I expected to hear a second gun. It threw me off a lot. It’s pretty tough.”

However, Edwards actually had a reaction time of 0.179 seconds, which was not the fastest or the slowest of the eight runners.[4] It is possible, therefore, that Edwards had not applied enough pressure on the blocks to trigger a false start warning, however she twitched her upper body, but possibly left her feet solid."[5]

Another disappointment came in the 4x100m relay when the American team dropped the baton in the semi-final due to a misunderstanding between Edwards, on the top bend, and Lauryn Williams on the anchor leg. Williams picked up the baton to finish the race in last place, but the USA was disqualified because she had had to run out of her lane in order to retrieve the baton.

Achievements

Year Tournament Venue Result Event
2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia 3rd 4x100m relay (which has been taken away because of Jones)
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, England 3rd 60m
World Championships Paris, France 1st 100 metres, 10.93 PB
World Championships Paris, France 2nd 200 metres
World Championships Paris, France 2nd 4x100m relay
World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 3rd 100 metres
World Athletics Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 3rd 200 metres

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g MSN (2008). "Athletes > Torri Edwards> Bio". NBC Beijing Olympics 2008. http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=163/bio/index.html. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
  2. ^ USC OLYMPIANS: 1904-2008, USC Trojans Athletic Department, Accessed August 26, 2008.
  3. ^ Associated Press (April 10, 2008). "US relay runners win Olympic medals appeal". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=5385884. 
  4. ^ 100 Metres - Women's Final. IAAF. 17 August 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008
  5. ^ When is a false start not a false start?. Reuters India. August 18, 2008. Retrieved August 24. 2008

External links