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| Born | (1967-01-08)January 8, 1967 (age 58) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | High jump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Hollis Conway (born January 8, 1967) is atrack and fieldhigh jumper and a two-timeOlympic medalist. He is currently employed by Lafayette Consolidated Government as the PARC Director in Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory's administration. Conway previously served as the assistant director of Diversity, Leadership, & Education for theLouisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team under head coachBilly Napier. Conway was the top-ranked high jumper in the U.S. seven straight years from 1988 to 1994 and in the world for two of those years (1990 and 1991). Conway,John Thomas andDwight Stones are the only Americans to win two Olympic medals in thehigh jump.
Born inChicago, Illinois and a native ofShreveport, Louisiana[clarification needed], Conway went 7-8¾ in the event at the1988 Summer Olympics inSeoul, Korea, setting a U.S.collegiate record and earning a silver medal. He won a bronze medal in the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona, Spain after going 7-8½ in winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials that year.
In 1989, Conway broke the American record twice in the high jump, winning theNCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship at 7-9¾ and the U.S. Olympic Festival at 7–10. He earned his first of two world No. 1 rankings in 1990 when he swept both the U.S. indoor and outdoor titles and won theGoodwill Games. He had ten jumps of 7-8 or better that year.
A six-time NCAA All-American and three-time NCAA champion at theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette (then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana).[1] He established a new NCAA indoor record of 2.37 m (7 ft9+1⁄2 in) at the 1989 NCAA Indoor Championships: it remains as one of the longest-standing NCAA, and Championship Meet, records through 2011. He won the winner at the1988 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship and at the1989 he won with an American outdoor record height. Conway was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1991 by winning theIAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics inSeville, Spain, with an American indoor record of 7-10½.[2]
He defended his U.S. outdoor championship and won the 1991World University Games, while finishing third in the 1991Pan American Games andWorld Outdoor Championships. He also won the BritishAAA Championships title at the1991 AAA Championships.[3][4]the He was ranked third in the world in 1992 and 1993. He was a Goodwill Games runner-up in 1994.
In all, Conway won ten USA championship high jump titles (five outdoor, five indoor) before his retirement at the 2000Drake Relays (where he jumped 6 ft 9in, on 29 April 2000).[5] He is a member of theLouisiana Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into theDrake Relays Hall of Fame in 1999. Conway wrote the foreword of theComplete Book of Jumps (Human Kinetics Europe Ltd, 1995).[6]
His IAAF biography also credits Conway with a personal best in thetriple jump of 16.17 m (53 ft1⁄2 in), which is an international-class distance (especially given that he likely did not practice this event very often).
Conway was inducted into theUSTFCCCA Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame in 2024.[7]
Conway jumped off his left foot and is considered short in stature, in comparison to other world-class high jumpers, many of whom stand 6'3"-to-6'5". His personal details on file with theIAAF officially list his height and weight as 1.83m and 68 kg, which equate to 6 feet one-quarter inch, and 150 pounds. However, in a high jump instructional video produced in 1991, which features Conway and his coach, Dick Booth, the narrator states Conway is "six feet one-half inch" (1.84m) and weighs "one hundred forty-five pounds". The narrator also says Conway has "average" speed, running 10.8 seconds for 100 meters, as well as having only an "average" vertical leap of 31 inches.[8] At six feet tall, Conway has held a distinction with four others in track and field history for jumping over their own heights. Conway's best jump was22+1⁄4 inches (57 cm) above his head.[9]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing the United States | |||||
| 1986 | World Junior Championships | Athens,Greece | 2nd | 2.22 m | |
| 1988 | Summer Olympics | Seoul, South Korea | 2nd | 2.36 m | |
| 1989 | Universiade | Duisburg, West Germany | 2nd | 2.31 m | |
| 1990 | Goodwill Games | Seattle, United States | 1st | 2.33 m | |
| 1991 | World Indoor Championships | Seville, Spain | 1st | 2.40 m | |
| Universiade | Sheffield, United Kingdom | 1st | 2.37 m | ||
| Pan American Games | Havana, Cuba | 3rd | 2.32 m | ||
| World Championships in Athletics | Tokyo, Japan | 3rd | 2.36 m | ||
| 1992 | Summer Olympics | Barcelona, Spain | 3rd | 2.34 m | |
| 1994 | Goodwill Games | Saint Petersburg, Russia | 2nd | 2.28 m | |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Men's High Jump Best Year Performance alongside  Javier Sotomayor, Charles Austin1991(i) | Succeeded by |
USTFCCCA Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class of 2022 |
|  |
| Class of 2023 | ||
| Class of 2024 | ||
