Career Highlights : 2-time Olympic 100m champion (‘92, ‘96); 3-time World 100H champion (‘93, ‘95, ‘99); 1993 World 100m champion; 3-time World Indoor 60m champion (‘93, ’97, ‘04); 2003 World Indoor 60H champion; 10-time U.S. 100mH champ (’91, ’92, ’95, ’96, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’03, ‘04); 1996 Olympic 4x100m relay gold medalist
Gail Devers Detailed Biography
Gail Devers was born on Nov. 19, 1966 in Seattle, Wash but her family later moved to National City, Calif., a small town near San Diego. Since she was a young girl, she always been a runner. In fact, her brother Parenthesis (PD), used to race her and then tease when she lost. SO one day, she decided she just wasn't going to lose anymore. So she started practicing - and it paid off. Gail beat PD the next time from then on, running was all that mattered to her. Gail ran all throughout high school and was heavily recruited by major universities. She chose the University of California at Los Angeles and joined UCLA's track team where the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles became her top events. In fact, she set an American record in the 100-meter hurdles during her senior year in 1988. And has continued to break her record - most recently on July 23, 2000. In addition to her track and field success, she also enjoyed academic success at UCLA by earning a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Despite her athletic success, in 1988 she encountered one of the toughest challenges of her life. She soon found out that she had Graves' disease, a debilitating chronic thyroid disorder. During this time her feet became so blistered and swollen, the skin cracked and bled. The doctors were sure they'd have to amputate her feet. She was devastated & thought that her life as an athlete was over. But with lots of hard work, determination, perseverance and faith in God, she was able to resume training and regain her health. In 1992, less than 17 months after she won her first gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and was named the "World's Fastest Woman." During 1993, she continued her winning streak, earning seven championship titles. At the world championships in Stuttgart, Germany, she accomplished a feat that hadn't been achieved in 45 years by winning both the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles. Then in 1995, she secured the No. 1 U.S. ranking for the 100-meter hurdles after winning the National Champion and World Champion titles. During the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, she repeated her 1992 performance by winning the gold medal in the 100-meter dash, becoming only the second woman to win the prestigious event at two consecutive Olympics. And was also on the gold medal-winning 4x100 meter relay team. The 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, once again, life threw an unexpected hurdle. While she was training for the Sydney games, she injured her right Achilles tendon and left hamstring, which sidelined her for nearly two months. She pulled through and won the 100-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials, lowering my American record with the event's fastest time in eight years.
Gail feels that she's truly blessed for what she has accomplishmed during her life. She considers herself to be a true champion by sharing her good fortune with and helping others.
