Marita Payne

Marita Payne-Wiggins
Personal information
Nationality Canadian
Born October 7, 1960
Barbados
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
Sport Running
Event(s) 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres

Marita Payne-Wiggins (born October 7, 1960) is a Canadian retired track and field athlete who competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics. She is the co-Canadian record holder in the 400 metres, along with Jillian Richardson, and the legal Canadian record holder in the 200 metres.

Early life and education

Payne was born in Barbados and spent her early childhood in Christ Church, Barbados.[1] As a young child, her parents, Ina and Clarence Payne, moved to New York for school and work, leaving her behind in Barbados. In 1970, when Payne was nine, she rejoined her parents and the family settled in Toronto, Ontario, and later in Concord, Ontario.[1][2][3] She attended Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute in Toronto, where she blossomed into a star sprinter, becoming an Ontario provincial champion in both the senior 100 metres and 200 metres in 1979.[1][4]

In 1980, Payne enrolled in Florida State University (FSU), where she competed for the Seminoles track and field team before graduating in 1984.[5] A 21-time NCAA All-American,[2] she was a 400 metres champion in 1982 and 1984; a 4 x 100 metres relay champion in 1981, 1983, and 1984; an indoor 4 x 200 metres relay champion in 1981; and a 4 x 400 metres relay champion in 1983 and 1984.[2] Payne also met her husband Mitchell Wiggins at FSU, while he played for the Seminoles basketball team.

Career

In 1981, Payne was a member of the Americas 4 x 400 metres relay team that took bronze at the IAAF World Cup in Rome. The following year, she won a silver medal with the Canadian team in the 4 x 100 metres relay, at the Commonwealth Games.

Payne won a silver medal in the 200 metres, at the 1983 Universiade, and helped Canada win silver medals in both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 metre relays. That year, she also won a silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the Pan American Games. She competed in the inaugural World Championships in Athletics two weeks earlier. At the championships, held in Helsinki, she finished fifth in the 400 metres – the best performance by a non-European athlete in the discipline, breaking the existing Commonwealth record with a time of 50.06. She also teamed up with her Canadian compatriots in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 metres relay events, where they finished fifth and fourth in the finals, respectively.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, she won the silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay with her teammates Charmaine Crooks, Jillian Richardson and Molly Killingbeck. She also competed with her teammates Angela Bailey, Angella Taylor-Issajenko and France Gareau in the 4 x 100 metres relay, in which the team also won the silver medal. She finished fourth in the individual 400 metres, establishing a new Canadian record (49.91).

She helped the Canadian 4 x 400 metres relay team win the gold medal, and finished fourth in the individual 400 metres race, at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. In 1987, she won her second silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the Pan American Games. A few weeks later, she reached the semi-finals of the 400 metres at the World Championships in Athletics, and along with Crooks, Killingbeck and Richardson, she took Canada to the fourth position in the 4 x 400 metres relay. The team reunited for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, but failed to finish in the relay final. She was a semi-finalist in the individual 400 metres race. Shortly after the Olympics, she retired from track and field.

She has personal best times of 11.43 for 100 metres, 22.62 for 200 metres, and 49.91 for 400 metres.

Post career

Payne was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1991.[2] Ten years later, she was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.

The City of Vaughan, Ontario named a park in her honour. Marita Payne Park, located in Concord, where she was raised, is also within walking distance of her family's current residence in Vaughan.[1]

Personal life

Payne is the wife of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins. Their son Andrew Wiggins was regarded as a top prospect at 18 years of age for top-tier college basketball programs in the United States,[6] and as of October 2012 was rated as the top prospect in the recruiting class of 2013.[7] He was selected first overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have another son, Nick, who played basketball for the Wichita State Shockers, another son named Mitchell, and three daughters: Stephanie, Angelica, and Taya.[8] Since 2002, the family has resided in Vaughan.[1]

Achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Canada
1981 World Cup Rome, Italy 3rd 4 x 400 m 3:26.42
1982 Commonwealth Games Brisbane, Australia semi-final 400 m 54.06
2nd 4 x 100 m 43.66
1983 Universiade (World Student Games) Edmonton, Canada 2nd 200 m 22.62
2nd 4 x 100 m 43.21
2nd 4 x 400 m 3:25.26
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 5th 400 m 50.06
5th 4 x 100 m 43.05
4th 4 x 400 m 3:27.57
Pan American Games Caracas, Venezuela 2nd 4 x 400 m 3:30.24
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 4th 400 m 49.91
2nd 4 x 100 m 42.77
2nd 4 x 400 m 3:21.21
1986 Commonwealth Games Edinburgh, Scotland 4th 400 m 52.00
1st 4 x 400 m 3:28.92
1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis, United States 2nd 4 x 400 m 3:29.18
World Championships Rome, Italy semi-final 400 m 51.75
4th 4 x 400 m 3:24.11
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea semi-final 400 m 50.29
DNF 4 x 400 m 3:27.63 (in heat)

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Dodd, Rustin. KU's Andrew Wiggins followed Naismith's path to Lawrence The Kansas City Star. Accessed on March 21, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Marita Payne Nolefan.org. Accessed on March 21, 2014.
  3. ↑ Neff, Craig. The Ducks Did It With Cruz Control Sports Illustrated. Accessed on March 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Past Champions – Girl's Track & Field OFSAA. Accessed on March 21, 2014.
  5. ↑ Marita Payne Seminoles.com. Accessed on March 21, 2014.
  6. ↑ Andrew Wiggins: Next superstar?; NBADraft.net
  7. ↑ Medcalf, Myron (July 9, 2012). "From Canada to college basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Nick Wiggins Bio". Wichita State University. Retrieved 1 March 2014.

External links