Chris Nelloms (born August 14, 1971) is an American male formertrack and fieldsprinter who specialized in the200- and400-meter dash. In 1992, Nelloms was shot by an unknown assailant during athletic practice in a park. He made a full recovery and returned to competitive running. In 1999, Nelloms was charged and convicted on eight counts of sexual offenses against a minor. He was sentenced to four life terms in prison.
Nelloms attendedDunbar High School in Dayton and set several high school records.[1] He originally competed in both sprints andhurdling and anational high school record of 13.30 seconds for the110-meter hurdles in 1990 led him to be chosen asTrack & Field News' High School Athlete of the Year.[2]
With a relay gold at the1988 World Junior Championships in Athletics and three sprint golds at the1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics, Nelloms has won the most titles in the history of theIAAF World Junior Championships.[3] He also won a gold medal triple at the1989 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, topping the podium in the 400 m,4 × 100-meter relay and4 × 400-meter relay.[4]
In August 1992 he was shot in the back in a park inDayton, Ohio, where he had been completing a fitness run. The shot hit an artery, broke his collarbone and punctured a lung, yet he managed to return to good health and race again. No one was charged with the shooting.[5]
He won back-to-back 200 m titles at theNCAA Men's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in 1992 to 1993.[6] At the1993 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships he won the 200 m and 4 × 400 m relay titles, as well as taking a bronze in the 4 × 100 m relay.[7] As a result, he was named theOhio State Buckeyes male athlete of the year – only the third track athlete to win that title after Olympic medalistsButch Reynolds andJoe Greene.[8] He took a 200 m silver medal at the1993 Summer Universiade the following month, finishing behind his teammateBrian Bridgewater.[9]
Nelloms took his first national title at theUSA Indoor Track and Field Championships in 1994, winning the 200 m race.[10] He ranked second in the world on time for that indoor season behind Olympic championLinford Christie.[11]
On January 8, 1999, Nelloms was convicted of one count of felonious sexual penetration and seven counts ofrape against his daughter, who had accused him of sexually abusing her in Ohio and Kentucky from 1995 to 1997, when she was between the ages of eight and 11. He was sentenced to four consecutive terms of life in prison.[12] He is incarcerated atWarren Correctional Institution.
Immediately following his trial, Nelloms appealed the conviction, arguing juror and prosecutorial misconduct; the appeal was denied. In February 1999, he appealed again to the Ohio Court of Appeals, arguing for a new trial on the grounds that the state of Ohio only had jurisdiction to judge incidents that occurred in Ohio, not others that occurred in Kentucky. The court ruled that four counts of the indictment be dismissed, but denied Nelloms a new trial. Nelloms appealed again to the State Supreme Court, which rejected it. The case was remanded to the trial court, which rejected the appeal in June 2001.[13]
A prison interview with Nelloms was published in theDayton Daily News in 2006, in which he proclaimed his innocence.[14] In response the victim, Terria Pitts, decided to waive her anonymity and challenge her father, saying: "I wanted to let the public know that Chris Nelloms is not innocent...he's being incarcerated for something he did do. There was evidence. I just want people to know that I'm not a liar."[15]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | World Junior Championships | Sudbury, Canada | 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:05.09 |
| 1989 | Pan American Junior Championships | Santa Fe, Argentina | 1st | 400 m | 46.19 |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 40.14 | |||
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:11.76 | |||
| 1990 | World Junior Championships | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | 1st | 400 m | 45.43 |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 39.13 | |||
| 1st | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:02.26 | |||
| 1993 | Universiade | Buffalo, United States | 2nd | 200 m | 20.17 |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Track & Field News High School Boys Athlete of the Year 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ohio State Athlete of the Year 1993 | Succeeded by |
World U20 Champions in men's400 metres | |
|---|---|
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