 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Donald O'Reilly Quarrie |
| Born | (1951-02-25)25 February 1951 (age 74) |
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event(s) | 100 m, 200 m |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest(s) | 100 m – 9.99 (1976) 200 m – 19.86 (1971)[1][2] |
Medal record | |
| Updated on 28 December 2015 | |
Donald O'Riley QuarrieCD (born 25 February 1951) is a Jamaican formertrack and field athlete, one of the world's topsprinters during the 1970s. At the1976 Summer Olympics he was the gold medallist in theOlympic 200 meters and silver medallist in theOlympic 100 meters. In all, he competed in fiveOlympic Games and won four Olympic medals during his career.
He nearly equalled the200 meters world record in 1971, coming within .03 seconds of the time set by Tommie Smith in 1968. He has a personal best of 19.86 seconds set in Cali, Colombia on 3 August 1971. As of 2024, this remains the track record.
He won100 metres/200 metres sprint doubles at the1970 Commonwealth Games,1971 Pan American Games, and1974 Commonwealth Games. He was the first male to defend either the 100 m or 200 m title at the Commonwealth Games and a 100 m win at the1978 Commonwealth Games makes him the only person to have won that title three times. He won nine gold medals in the sprints at theCentral American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics from 1971 to 1981.
He has received recognition both on and off the field. He was a five-time winner at theJamaican Sportsperson of the Year and a statue of him is positioned at the entrance toJamaica's National Stadium. There is also a school (Donald Quarrie High School) that bears his name in Eastern Kingston. Reggae artists have paid respect to his achievements with songs including "Tribute to Donald Quarrie", one byJoe Gibbs and The Guerrillas and one byBongo Herman.
Quarrie made the Jamaican 100 m team for the1968 Summer Olympics as a 17-year-old, but he injured himself in training, and could not take part. He moved to theUnited States and attended theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln and later theUniversity of Southern California, where he graduated with a degree in Business and Public Administration.[3][4][5] There, his sprinting capabilities gradually increased. At the 1970Commonwealth Games, Quarrie won the gold medal in both the 100 and 200 m, surprising his more experienced competitors. Anchoring the Jamaican 4 × 100 m relay team, he pocketed a third Commonwealth title.[citation needed]
Quarrie repeated his sprint double the following year at thePan American Games inCali and his time in the 200 meters was a hand-timed 19.8. One of the favourites for the upcomingMunich Olympics, Quarrie again suffered from injuries at the Olympic Games. He did compete in the 200 m but had to abandon his 200 m semi-final after pulling a muscle.[1]
In 1974 Quarrie repeated his 1970 performance by grabbing the 100 and 200 m titles at the Commonwealth Games inChristchurch, becoming the first athlete to retain the title in either event. The next season, he again tied the 200 m world record, 19.8. He also tied the 100 m record with a hand-timed mark (9.9) in 1976 at theCalifornia Relays atModesto Junior College, one of only a few athletes to have held these records simultaneously. This time was actually 10.07 seconds.[1]
In 1976 after winning both the 100 and 200AAA Championships titles at the1976 AAA Championships,[6][7] Quarrie could finally compete at theOlympics without injuries. He first made the 100 m final, which he led until overtaken by TrinidadianHasely Crawford. In the 200 m Quarrie led the pack coming out of the turn and held off all challenges to take the title in 20.22.[1]
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games he won his third consecutive 100 m title but was eliminated in the 200 m after a cramp attack. Quarrie's participation in his fourthOlympics inMoscow was in doubt after he was involved in a car crash the previous year. He recovered in time to compete but was eliminated in the 100 m semi-finals. His title defense failed in the 200 m but he did make the final and finished third, adding a bronze medal to his collection.[1]
Quarrie won two more British AAA Championships over 200 metres in 1978 and 1982.[8][9]
By 1984 Quarrie was no longer among the world's best in the individual sprint events and it was therefore no surprise he was eliminated in the heats of the 200 m event at theLos Angeles Olympics. However, he won a fourth Olympic medal with the Jamaican 4 × 100 m relay team, which finished second behind the United States. His final competitive race was a 200 m in London in September 1984, in which he finished 3rd.[1]
1Did not finish in the semifinals
2Representing the Americas
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's 200 m world leading performance 1971 1974–1975 | Succeeded by |
|
|
Commonwealth Games champions in men's100 metres | |
|---|---|
| 100 yards (1930–1966) | |
| 100 metres (1970–present) |
|
Commonwealth Games champions in men's200 metres | |
|---|---|
| 220 yards (1930–1966) | |
| 200 metres (1970–present) |
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
.svg)
