James Butler (born June 21, 1960) is an American formertrack and fieldsprinter who specialized in the200-meter dash. He was an NCAA champion and winner at theLiberty Bell Classic Olympic boycott event. He represented the United States at the1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships and placed fifth. He set a 200 m best of 20.23 seconds in 1982.
Collegiately he ran forOklahoma State University and was the school's first ever winner of the200-meter dash at the NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, doing so in 1982 with a wind-assisted run of 20.07 seconds.[1]
Internationally he looked set to make his Olympic debut with a win at the1980 United States Olympic Trials,[2][3] but did not compete due to the U.S. Olympic Committee'sboycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. He was one of 461 athletes to receive aCongressional Gold Medal instead.[4] He ran at theLiberty Bell Classic, an alternative meet for boycotting nations held inPhiladelphia. He won the 200 m there, edging fellow AmericanFred Taylor by one hundredth of a second.[5]
Butler ran his lifetime personal record for the 200 m in 1982, crossing the line inProvo, Utah in 20.23 seconds. This ranked him as the fourth fastest athlete in the world that year. He was runner-up at the1982 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships toCalvin Smith.[6] At the end of that year he won the top levelGolden Gala meet inRome.[7] His season's best in 1983 came at thenational championships, but the quality of the field had improved given that it was the selection meet for the inaugural1983 World Championships in Athletics and he ended the race in sixth place.[6]
Butler continued to run on the international circuit and was the world's eighth best 200 m sprinter in 1984 with a time of 20.31 seconds set in Rome.[6] In his sole world level outing for the United States, he came fifth at the1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships.[8] He also placed third at the1987 IAAF Grand Prix Final.[9] In his final year of top level competition, in 1988, he set indoor bests of 6.55 seconds for the60-meter dash and 20.64 seconds for the indoor 200 m – the latter time made him the third best runner indoors that season.[10][11] He competed as a guest athlete at the Hungarian Indoor Championships and won their 60 m event.[12] He ended his career after a failed attempt to qualify for the 1988 Olympics, as he took sixth at the1988 United States Olympic Trials.[6]
