Christopher Williams (sprinter)
 | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Jamaica | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2000 Sydney | 4x400 m relay |
| World Championships | ||
| | 2001 Edmonton | 200 m |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2001 Edmonton | 4x400 m relay |
Christopher Williams (born 15 March 1972 in Mandeville) is a Jamaican track and field sprinter.[1]
Williams is best known for winning the silver medal in the 200 metres at the 2001 World Championships. In 2001 he was named Jamaica Sportsman of the Year. Williams has competed in the Olympic Games three times, in 2000, 2004 and 2008, reaching the semi-finals of the 200m on all occasions. He was on the bronze medal-winning 4 x 400 metre relay team at the 2000 Olympics. He finished seventh in the 200m final at the 2007 World Championships.
Williams represented Jamaica at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He competed at the 200 metres and placed third in his first round heat after Brian Dzingai and Christian Malcolm in a time of 20.53 seconds. He improved his time in the second round to 20.28 seconds and placed third again, this time after Dzingai and Walter Dix. He ran his semi final race in 20.45 seconds and placed sixth, which was not enough to make it to the Olympic final.[1]
He received a two-year ban for failing a drugs test (Amphetamine and levmetamphetamine) in August 2009 in Salamanca, Spain.[2] The sprinter described the ban as "harsh", reflecting that, although he had ingested prohibited substances, he had done so through a cold medicine he was taking, which he had declared on the drug test forms in Spain. He also complained that the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association had not informed him of the failed drug test and that he first discovered the news in April 2010 after a family member read the story on the internet. "I was retired after I came back from Europe", he remarked, "Why would I be using performance enhancing drugs, when I am done with the sport?".[3]
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Bridgetown, Barbados | 1st | 200 metres | |
| Pan American Games | Winnipeg, Canada | 3rd | 4 × 100 m relay | ||
| 2000 | Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia | 3rd | 4 × 400 m relay | |
| 2001 | World Indoor Championships | Lisbon, Portugal | 4th | 200 metres | |
| World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 2nd | 200 metres | ||
| 2nd[4] | 4 × 400 m relay | ||||
| 2002 | Central American and Caribbean Games | San Salvador, El Salvador | 2nd | 200 metres | 21.04 (wind: -0.4 m/s) |
| 2003 | Pan American Games | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 2nd | 200 metres | |
| Central American and Caribbean Championships | St. George's, Grenada | 3rd | 200 metres | ||
| 2005 | World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 2nd | 200 metres | |
| 2006 | Commonwealth Games | Melbourne, Australia | 3rd | 200 metres |
See also
References
- Christopher Williams profile at IAAF
- 1 2 Athlete biography: Christopher Williams, beijing2008.cn, ret: 1 September 2008
- ↑ Raynor, Kayon (2010-05-25). IAAF bans Chris Williams for two years. Jamaica Observer. Retrieved on 2010-08-08.
- ↑ "Two year ban is harsh", says Chris Williams. Track Alerts (2010-05-11). Retrieved on 2010-08-08.
- ↑ The Jamaica 4x400 team won originally the bronze medal, but the USA 4x400 team, which originally finished first in 4x400 m relay, was disqualified in 2008 due to Antonio Pettigrew confession of using human growth hormone and EPO between 1997 and 2003.