 Gail Devers during her induction to theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Yolanda Gail Devers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 19, 1966 (1966-11-19) (age 59)[1] Seattle, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 121 lb (55 kg)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Hurdles, Sprints | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of California, Los Angeles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Yolanda Gail Devers (/ˈdiːvərz/DEE-vərz;[2] born November 19, 1966) is an American retiredtrack and field sprinter who competed in the60 metres,60 m hurdles,100 m and100 m hurdles. One of the greatest and most decorated female sprinters of all time, she was the 1993, 1997 and 2004world indoor champion in the 60 m, while in the 60 m hurdles, she was the 2003 world indoor champion and 2004 silver medalist. In the 100 m, she is the second woman in history to defend an Olympic 100 m title, winning gold at both the 1992 and 1996Olympics. She was also the 1993world champion in the event, becoming the first ever female sprinter to simultaneously hold the world and Olympic titles in the 100 m.[3] In the 100 m hurdles, she was the 1993, 1995 and 1999 world champion, and the 1991 and 2001 world silver medalist. In 2011, she was inducted into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Devers was born inSeattle, Washington, and grew up nearNational City, California, graduating fromSweetwater High School in 1984.[1] Sweetwater's football and track stadium would later be named Gail Devers Stadium. A young talent in the100 m and100 m hurdles, Devers was in training for the1988 Summer Olympics, started experiencing health problems, suffering from among othersmigraine and vision loss. She qualified for the Olympics 100 m hurdles, in which she was eliminated in the semi-finals, but her health continued to deteriorate.[citation needed]
Devers started in800 m in high school and ran a personal best of 2:08.[4]
In 1990, she was diagnosed withGraves' disease and underwentradioactive iodine treatment followed bythyroid hormone replacement therapy.[citation needed] During her radiation treatment, Devers began to develop blistering and swelling of her feet. Eventually, she could barely walk. Devers recovered after the radiation treatment was discontinued, and she resumed training. At the 1991 World Championships, she won asilver medal in the 100 m hurdles.
At the1992 Summer Olympics, Devers starred. She qualified for the final of the 100 m, which ended in an exciting finish, with five women finishing close (within 0.06 seconds). Thephoto finish showed Devers had narrowly beatenJamaicanJuliet Cuthbert. In the final of the 100 m hurdles, Devers' lead event, she seemed to be running towards a secondgold medal, when she hit the final hurdle and stumbled over the finish line in fifth place, leavingVoula Patoulidou from Greece as the upset winner.
In 1993, Devers won the1993 World Championships in Athletics 100 m title after – again – a photo finish win overMerlene Ottey in an apparent dead heat, and the 100 m hurdles title. She retained her hurdles title in 1995.
The 100 m final at the1996 Summer Olympics was an almost exact repeat of the World Championships final three years before. Ottey and Devers again finished in the same time and did not know who had won the race. Again, both were awarded the same time of 10.94 seconds, but Devers was judged to have finished first and became the first woman to retain the Olympic 100 m title sinceWyomia Tyus.Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce duplicated the feat in 2012, andElaine Thompson-Herah in 2021. In the final of her favorite event, Devers again failed, as she finished fourth and outside of the medals. With the4 × 100 m relay team, Devers won her third Olympic gold medal.
After these Olympics, Devers concentrated on the hurdles event, winning the World Championship again in 1999, but she had to forfeit for the semi-finals at the2000 Summer Olympics.
Devers competed in the 100 m and 100 m hurdles at the2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, her fifth Olympic Games.[5]
Devers left competition in 2005 to give birth to a child with her husband and returned in 2006.
On February 2, 2007, at the age of 40, Devers edged 2004 Olympic championJoanna Hayes to win the60 m hurdles event at theMillrose Games in 7.86 seconds – the best time in the world that season and just 0.12 off the record she set in 2003. Furthermore, the time bettered the listed World Record for a 40-year-old by almost 7 tenths of a second.[6]
During her career, Devers was notable for having exceptionally long, heavily decorated fingernails. One of the fastest starters in the world, Devers even had to alter her starting position to accommodate her long nails.[7] Her long nails came as the result of a contest her father devised to get her to stop biting her nails as a child.[8]
In 2011, she was elected into theNational Track and Field Hall of Fame. The following year she was elected into theUnited States Olympic Hall of Fame.[9] In November 2012, Devers was announced as a 2013 recipient of theNCAASilver Anniversary Award, presented annually to six distinguished former college student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of the end of their college sports careers.[10]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Women's Track & Field ESPY Award 1994 2003–2004 | Succeeded by Gwen Torrence Not awarded |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Women's 100 m Hurdles Best Year Performance 1993 1999–2000 2002–2003 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
| People | |
