Linford ChristieOBE (born 2 April 1960) is a Jamaican-born British formersprinter and athletics coach. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: theOlympic Games, theWorld Championships, theEuropean Championships and theCommonwealth Games. He was the first European athlete to break the10-second barrier in the 100 m and held theBritish record in the event for close to 30 years. He is a formerworld indoor record holder over200 metres, and a formerEuropean record holder in the60 metres, 100 m and4 × 100 metres relay.
He remains one of the most highly decorated British athletes of all-time. By the end of his track career Christie had won 24 medals overall, more than any other British male athlete before or since. In 1993 he was awarded theBBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Christie tested positive for a banned stimulant in 1988 during theSeoul Olympics. In 1999 he was suspended for two years by the IAAF after the banned substancenandrolone was found in a test, although he had been effectively in retirement since 1997.
As a coach, two of his charges,Darren Campbell andKatharine Merry, went on to win Olympic and World medals.
Christie was born on 2 April 1960 inSaint Andrew, Jamaica, where he was brought up by his maternal grandmother. At the age of seven he joined his parents, who had emigrated toActon, London, England, five years before. He was educated atHenry Compton Secondary School inFulham, London and excelled inphysical education. He competed in the very firstLondon Youth Games in 1977 for the borough ofHammersmith & Fulham.[2] He also joined theAir Training Corps in 1978, 336 (Hammersmith) Squadron. He did not take up athletics seriously until he was 18.
Christie's early track career was not particularly promising. A comparatively slow starter, he failed to make the Great Britain team for the1984 Summer Olympics, not even being included in the sprint relay squad. It was not until some years after he had begun to work in earnest on his running technique under the coaching guidance ofRon Roddan in 1979 that he fulfilled his potential.
In 1986, he was the surprise winner of the 100 m at theEuropean Championships and finished second in the same event at theCommonwealth Games in Edinburgh, behindBen Johnson. At the1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome, Christie came fourth in the 100 m, but was later awarded the bronze medal, when winner Johnson was disqualified after admitting years ofsteroid use.
At the1988 Summer Olympics inSeoul, Christie won the 100 m silver behindCarl Lewis after Johnson, who set a world record in 9.79 seconds, was again disqualified following a positive drug test. Christie's time was 9.97 seconds, a new European record by 0.03 seconds and this was only the third time that an athlete had broken the ten second barrier in the 100 metres without winning the race.
In 1992, Christie became the third British athlete to win the Olympic 100 m, afterHarold Abrahams andAllan Wells, winning the title ahead ofFrankie Fredericks ofNamibia at theBarcelona Olympic Games. In the absence of his great rival Lewis, Christie ran 9.96 s in the final, and at the age of 32 years 121 days became the oldest Olympic 100 m champion by four years and 38 days.
In 1993, he became the first man in history to hold the Olympic, World,European and Commonwealth titles in the 100 m as he was victorious at theStuttgart World Championships in his fastest ever time of 9.87.[3] The time stood as the British record until 2023. His achievement saw him being votedBBC Sports Personality of the Year by the British public that year.
The following year, in 1994, he defended hisCommonwealth title inVictoria in his second fastest ever 100 m time of 9.91.[3]
Defending hisOlympic title in 1996, Christie was disqualified in the final after two false starts. He said: "The first one I knew I did, but on the second one I felt I reacted perfectly to the gun. I have never been disqualified from a race before in my life. What a place to do it."[4] His reaction time was 0.086 seconds. Under IAAF rules, sprinters are not allowed to start from their blocks faster than 0.1 seconds.
Christie retired from representative international competition in 1997,[5] although he continued to make appearances at invitation meetings.
Christie faced anInternational Olympic Committee disciplinary hearing at the 1988 Seoul Olympics because of an adverse drug test for the banned stimulantpseudoephedrine after he ran in the heats of the 200 m. He escaped sanction after the committee voted by a margin of 11 to 10 and gave Christie "the benefit of the doubt."[6][7] Christie argued that he had taken it inadvertently when drinking someginseng tea.
At the 1994 European championships staged inHelsinki, where British team captain Christie won his third European 100 m title, he was caught up in a doping controversy afterSolomon Wariso, a400 m runner making his international championship debut, tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine. Wariso revealed that he had used an over-the-counter pick-you-up called "Up Your Gas", which Christie had bought at a Florida pharmacy.[8]
In 1998, less than six months before his first positive drug test, Christie won alibel action against the journalistJohn McVicar. McVicar had insinuated in a satirical magazine that Christie's remarkable rise from 156th in the world to triumph at an age when he should have been in decline could only have been achieved through performance-enhancing drugs. The jury found in Christie's favour by a 10–2 majority. The judge ordered that McVicar should be bound by an injunction restraining him from accusing Christie of taking banned substances. The modest £40,000 damages awarded were outweighed by the legal costs that Christie incurred to bring the case. After the judgment, McVicar called Christie "TheJudy Garland of the 100 metres", referring to the emotion that Christie had displayed before the court.[9]
In February 1999, Christie competed in an indoor meet inDortmund, Germany. A routine in competition drug test found the banned substancenandrolone. After a six-month delay, a disciplinary hearing was convened by theBritish Athletic Federation which found Christie to be not guilty. But theIAAF overruled and confirmed a two-year suspension. He was found to have more than 100 times threshold levels of the metabolites of nandrolone in his urine. Various explanations were offered to explain the result.[10][11][12] "You think that's an awful lot," says Professor Ron Maughan one of the UK Athletics anti-doping panellists who worked on Christie's case, "but the amounts are so small, they would have absolutely no physiological effect, but they would trigger a doping test.".[13] TheIAAF rejected the explanations and gave Christie a two-years ban from athletics, despiteUK Athletics feeling that there was reasonable doubt whether the drug had been taken deliberately, a decision which ignored the usual drug testing principle of "strict liability".[14]
Several alternative theories have been proposed that might explain Christie's positive test.Nandrolone is a long-actinganabolic steroid, and is well-known in athlete circles to be detectable in blood and urine screenings for long periods; ranging from 6 to 18 months.[15] Sceptics of Christie's positive, and otherNandrolone sanctions in the late 1990s, have cited this detection window as a major deterrent to using the drug at any point during training or competition periods. Around this timepro-hormones like19-norandrostenedione,Androstenedione, and1-Testosterone, among others, abounded in the American supplement market, and were not yet codified as 'anabolic agents' under theFederal Controlled Substances Act.[16]
Christie has always denied any wrongdoing. "If I took drugs there had to be a reason to take drugs. I had pretty much retired from the sport." Furthermore, he denied that his physique was gained through drug use and promoted an anti-steroid approach: "It does not follow that all athletes who are big take drugs ... Only by testing all athletes will the sport be kept clean of drugs."[17]
Following his positive drugs test and ban from athletics, Christie was banned for life from theBritish Olympic Association, who announced that Christie would not be accredited for any future Olympic Games, in accordance with their regulations.
Following the two-year ban, Christie worked as a presenter on the BBC programmesRecord Breakers andGarden Invaders, and also had a contract with BBC Sport. He has spent less time as a public figure and has devoted most of his time to managing his company.[18] In 1990 he made his acting debut in theBBC programmeGrange Hill.[19] Later he appeared in anotherBBC programmeHustle. In 2010, Christie appeared on the UKITV television channel'sI'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! show, subsequently becoming the sixth person to be eliminated, on 30 November 2010.
During the McVicar case, Christie raised another of his grievances with the media – insinuating comments about the figure-hugging running suits that Christie wore in his races. The termLinford's lunchbox had been coined byThe Sun newspaper in reference to the noticeable bulge of Christie's genitalia in hisLycra shorts. He said "Linford's lunchbox is one of my grievances with the media. I don't like it ... Nobody ever goes on aboutSally Gunnell's breasts ... I think it is disgusting, I don't like it at all."[20] In court, the judgeMr Justice Popplewell, amused some by tactlessly asking Christie to explain the phrase, asking "What is 'Linford's lunchbox?'"[21]Christie's anger at this unwanted attention led to his infamous "newspaper print" running suit, although he has deliberately drawn attention to his body on occasions: he has remarked that "A lot of people have looked at my physique and two things can come into their mind – admiration and envy."[17] He also appeared shirtless and flexing his muscles on the BBC youth seriesReportage in 1988. In recent years, however, Christie appears to have come to terms with the 'lunchbox' label, disclosing his preference for briefs rather than boxer shorts, and in 2002 becoming the "face" ofSloggi, the men's underwear brand, posing for advertising wearing only underwear.[22][23]
In the successful British bid for the2012 Olympic Games, Christie was absent from the team, even though he has stated that he attempted to get involved. Christie has cited an ongoing feud between himself and former teammateSebastian Coe, who led the bid committee, as a likely reason for the snub.[24][25][26] Commenting on the argument, Christie's teammate,Derek Redmond, said he was "a well-balanced athlete; he has a chip on both shoulders."[27]
However, in April 2006, it was announced that Christie would be a senior mentor for athletes on the national team, along with former athletesSteve Backley,Daley Thompson andKatharine Merry.[28] This proved controversial, however, due to Christie's 2 year drugs ban in February 1997. "I don't think he should be in that mentor role," saidPaula Radcliffe, the former women'smarathon world record-holder. "We have to make sure that the people in that mentor role have an integrity and strong sense of ethics and morals."[29]
TheBOA confirmed that their ban on Olympic accreditation for Christie remained in place.[27] Christie claimed that he was invited by London MayorKen Livingstone to be one of the carriers of the 2008Olympic Torch on its journey through London, although Livingstone denied that he had invited Christie to undertake that role.[30] The IOC reacted angrily to any suggestion that "an athlete who has an Olympic ban" could have been invited to carry the Olympic torch.[30]
In 2011, Christie was convicted of careless driving, after his vehicle crashed head-on into a taxi on 8 May 2010 due to driving on the wrong side of theA413 road inChalfont St Peter,Buckinghamshire.[31] Four people, including a newly-wed couple, were hurt.[31]
In November 2023, he appeared inThe Masked Singer: I'm a Celebrity Special as Huntsman. He was voted off first.
A documentary film about his life, titledLinford, premiered onBBC One in July 2024.[32][33]
Reflecting upon his track career, he stated: "I will have no complaints if people remember me as one of the best athletes in the world."[20] He was the British record-holder for nearly 30 years at 100 m, with the 9.87 s he ran at the 1993 World Championships.[34] He was the third Briton, afterHarold Abrahams andAllan Wells, and the fifth European to win the 100 m at the Olympic Games, and the last to do so until 2021, when ItalianMarcell Jacobs took the Olympic title in Tokyo in the delayed2020 Summer Olympics. He remains the oldest male athlete to win the 100 metres at the Olympics at the age of 32.[34]
As of 2019, Christie'sBritish record of 9.87 seconds in the 100 metres makes him the third fastest European in history; afterFrancis Obikwelu's 9.86 s personal best which broke Christie'sEuropean record, and the same time achieved by French sprinterJimmy Vicaut.[35] His 100 m personal best fares favourably in comparison with his contemporaries:Carl Lewis andFrankie Fredericks managed 9.86 s whileLeroy Burrell ran 9.85 s.[35] Christie broke the ten-second barrier nine times, and was the first European to break the ten-second barrier. In the 1988 100 metres Olympic final, he became the first man to break the ten-second barrier and not win the race. In the 1991 World Championships 100 m final, he became the first man to break the ten-second barrier and come fourth, running 9.92 seconds.
In the 4 × 100 m relay event Christie's performance asanchor, alongsideColin Jackson,Tony Jarrett andJohn Regis, set a European record of 37.77 s at the1993 World Championships. This was beaten six years later by a 37.73 s run by a British team, which included his protégéDarren Campbell.[36] However, Christie's team's performance is still the second fastest 4 × 100 m performance by a European team and one of the best by a non-United States relay team.[37]
Over 60 m, Christie set a European record of 6.47 s in 1995 which was beaten by fellow BritonJason Gardener in 1999 with 6.46 s. Christie has the fourth fastest time over the distance for a European after Gardener,Ronald Pognon[38] and the current European record holderDwain Chambers.
Christie also holds 3 current 35–39masters age group world records. On 23 September 1995, Christie set a M35 world record of 9.97 in the 100 m which no longer stands. On 25 June 1995 he set the current M35 world record in the 200 m in 20.11 seconds and on 3 January 1997 Christie set the current indoor record in the M35 60 m in a time of 6.51 seconds.
Christie broke the world indoor record over 200 m with 20.25 s atLiévin in 1995, and remains the seventh fastest sprinter on the all-time list.[39]
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He was appointedMBE in 1990 andOBE in 1998.[34] In 1993, the West London Stadium, where he spent much time training, was renamed theLinford Christie Stadium in his honour. Christie's claim that he started races on the "B of the Bang" inspired a large public sculptureof the same name. Erected as a celebration of the2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, it was officially unveiled by Christie in 2004. Owing to safety concerns, it was dismantled in 2009. In 2010, he was inducted into theEngland Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2009, he was inducted into theLondon Youth Games Hall of Fame.
| Event | Time (seconds) | Date | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 metres | 6.47 | 19 February 1995 | Liévin, France | |
| 100 metres | 9.87 | 15 August 1993 | Stuttgart, Germany | NR[40] |
| 150 metres | 14.97[41] | 4 September 1994 | Sheffield, United Kingdom | |
| 200 metres | 20.09 | 28 September 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| 300 metres | 33.80 | 21 June 1988 | Oslo, Norway | |
| 400 metres | 47.75 | 1991 | ? | |
| Long jump | 6.67 m | 21 August 1996 | London, United Kingdom |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | European Indoor Championships | Athens, Greece | 2nd (h1) | 200 m | 21.50 |
| 1986 | European Indoor Championships | Madrid, Spain | 1st | 200 m | 21.10 |
| Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 2nd | 100 m | 10.28 | |
| — | 200 m | DNS | |||
| European Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 1st | 100 m | 10.15 | |
| 5th (sf2) | 200 m | 20.69 | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.71 | |||
| 1987 | European Cup | Prague, Czechoslovakia | 1st | 100 m | 10.23 |
| 1st | 200 m | 20.63 | |||
| World Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd | 100 m | 10.14 | |
| — | 200 m | DNS | |||
| 1988 | European Indoor Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st | 60 m | 6.57 |
| 3rd | 200 m | 20.83 | |||
| Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 2nd | 100 m | 9.97AR | |
| 4th | 200 m | 20.09NR | |||
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.28 | |||
| 1989 | European Cup | Gateshead, United Kingdom | 1st | 100 m | 10.33 |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.39 | |||
| World Cup | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | 100 m | 10.10 | |
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.34 | |||
| 1990 | Commonwealth Games | Auckland, New Zealand | 1st | 100 m | 9.93 |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.67 | |||
| European Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | 1st | 60 m | 6.56 | |
| European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 1st | 100 m | 10.00 | |
| 3rd | 200 m | 20.33 | |||
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.98NR | |||
| 1991 | World Indoor Championships | Seville, Spain | 2nd | 60 m | 6.55 |
| 2nd | 200 m | 20.72 | |||
| European Cup | Frankfurt, Germany | 1st | 100 m | 10.18 | |
| World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | 100 m | 9.92AR | |
| 6th (sf1) | 200 m | 20.62 | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.09 | |||
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | 100 m | 9.96 |
| 5th (sf1) | 200 m | 20.38 | |||
| 4th | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.08 | |||
| World Cup | Havana, Cuba | 1st | 100 m | 10.21 | |
| 2nd | 200 m | 20.72 | |||
| 1993 | European Cup | Rome, Italy | 1st | 100 m | 10.22 |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.53 | |||
| World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 1st | 100 m | 9.87NR | |
| — | 200 m | DNS | |||
| 2nd | 4 × 100 m relay | 37.77NR | |||
| 1994 | European Cup | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 1st | 100 m | 10.21 |
| 1st | 200 m | 20.67 | |||
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.72 | |||
| European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 1st | 100 m | 10.14 | |
| — | 4 × 100 m relay | DNF | |||
| Commonwealth Games | Victoria, Canada | 1st | 100 m | 9.91GR | |
| World Cup | London, United Kingdom | 1st | 100 m | 10.21 | |
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.46 | |||
| 1995 | European Cup | Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France | 1st | 100 m | 10.05CR |
| 1st | 200 m | 20.11CR | |||
| 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.73 | |||
| World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 6th | 100 m | 10.12 | |
| 1996 | European Cup | Madrid, Spain | 1st | 100 m | 10.04CR |
| 1st | 200 m | 20.25w | |||
| 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | 38.67 | |||
| Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | — | 100 m | DQ | |
| 4th (qf5) | 200 m | 20.59 | |||
| 1997 | European Cup | Munich, Germany | 1st | 100 m | 10.04 |
| 1st | 200 m | 20.56 |
Christie competed during the era of dual national championships, whereby the winner at the nominally open AAA Championships was often recognised as the national champion, but a separate UK only event, the UK Athletics Championships, was also held, crowning a UK Athletics champion. Between both events, Christie accumulated 19 outdoor championship golds. Eleven of these golds were in the AAA championships which were broadly recognised as the more prestigious of the national titles.
Linford Christie has eight children. His nieceRachel Christie was crownedMiss England in 2009 though later relinquished the title following allegations of assault.[46] His godsonOmari Patrick is a professional footballer.[47]
In 1993 Christie formed a sports management and promotions company, Nuff Respect, with sprint-hurdlerColin Jackson. One of their early products was a sports training and workout video,The S Plan: Get Fit with Christie and Jackson. Jackson was later to leave the enterprise, saying "Linford has to be in control, he has to be number one, he has to be the leader."[48]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1993 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by None | Men's European Athlete of the Year 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by | European Record Holder Men's 100 m 24 September 1988 – 22 August 2004 | Succeeded by |
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