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Bernard Rollen Williams III (born January 19, 1978) is an American male former
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
sprinter and winner of a gold medal in
4 × 100-meter relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...
at the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
. He was the
200-meter dash The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...
silver medalist at the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
and the
100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
silver medalist at the
2001 World Championships in Athletics The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 and 12 August 2001 and was the first time the event ...
. He also won relay gold at the
2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the streets of Paris and the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, F ...
and was the 100 m gold medalist at the
1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games () or the 13th Pan American Games and commonly known as Winnipeg 1999, were a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Ma ...
. He has broken the
10-second barrier The 10-second barrier is the physical and psychological barrier of completing the 100 metres sprint in under ten seconds. The achievement is traditionally regarded as the hallmark of a world-class male sprinter. Its significance has become less ...
and holds a personal record of 9.94 seconds in the 100 m. Williams was the fastest man in the 200 m at the 2003 season with a personal record of 20.01 seconds. He won the American national title in the 100 m at the
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...
in 2001 and 2003. He competed collegiately for the
Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...
and was NCAA Outdoor champion in the 100 m and 4 × 100 m relay in 2000.


Biography

Born in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
, Bernard Williams won the 100 meters at the
1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games () or the 13th Pan American Games and commonly known as Winnipeg 1999, were a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Ma ...
. Williams accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of the
Florida Gators track and field The Florida Gators track and field program represents the University of Florida in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic As ...
team. He graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2008. In 2000, Williams won the
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
Championships in the 100 meters and 4 × 100 m relay as a Florida Gator sprinter. He ran the second leg on the gold medal-winning American 4 × 100 m relay team at the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
in Sydney. The teams extravagant celebrations drew criticism at the time. Acquiring the nickname "Hollywood", he was personally noted for his comedy antics during the 2000 Olympics, including using "the people's eyebrow" – a pose used by then-professional wrestler
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...
. Also, known for his pre race antics and poses playing to any crowd, which grew to be increasingly accepted in the sport following the celebrations of multiple Olympic champion
Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt (; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, ...
. At the 2001 World Championships, Williams finished third but was given the silver medal for the 100 meters when (Tim Montgomery) was discovered to have used steroids. Williams also ran the second leg on the American 4 × 100 m relay team, which won the gold medal. The team's gold medals were withdrawn when
Tim Montgomery Timothy Montgomery (born January 28, 1975) is an American former track sprinter who specialized in the 100-meter dash. In 2005, he was stripped of his records—including a now-void men's 100-meter world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002—a ...
was discovered to have used steroids. Williams was upgraded to 100 m national champion as a result of this disqualification, however. In 2003, Williams won the US National Championships in 100 meters and was fifth in 100 meters at the 2003 World Championships. He was also a member of gold medal-winning American relay team. He tested positive for cannabis and received a warning from the
USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...
in August 2004, but was still able to compete in the Olympics in accordance with
IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...
rules. At the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
, Williams won the silver medal in 200 meters, edging compatriot and 100 meters champion
Justin Gatlin Justin Alexander Gatlin (born February 10, 1982) is a retired American sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is the 2004 Olympic Champion in the 100 meters, the 2005 and 2017 World Champion in the 100 meters, the ...
in the final few meters. Thus, Americans won all three top places, since
Shawn Crawford Shawn Crawford (born January 14, 1978) is a retired American sprint athlete. He competed in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. In the 200 meter sprint, Crawford won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2008 Summer O ...
won the gold. The Americans performed to a booing audience, as the Greeks protested the exclusion of the 2000 Olympic champion
Kostas Kenteris Konstantinos "Kostas" Kenteris, also spelled as Konstadinos "Costas" Kederis ( ; born July 11, 1973) is a Greek former athlete. He won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and the 2 ...
for doping. Bernard works as a Sports Performance Coach in the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia area.


Personal bests


International competitions


National titles

*
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...
**100 m:
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
*
NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships The NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual college athletics, collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It has been held every year sin ...
**
100 m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
: 2000 **
4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...
: 2000


See also

*
List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men) This is the complete list of men's medalists in athletics at the Summer Olympics. It does not include the medalists from the Athletics at the 1906 Intercalated Games – these are no longer regarded as an official part of the Olympic chronology b ...
* List of men's Olympic and World Championship athletics sprint champions *
List of medal sweeps in Olympic athletics A podium sweep is when one team wins all available medals in a single event in a sporting event. At the highest level, that would be when one nation wins all the medals in the Summer Olympics Athletics. Many Olympic sports or events do not all ...
* List of Pan American Games medalists in athletics (men) *
List of 2000 Summer Olympics medal winners The 2000 Summer Olympics were held in Sydney, Australia, from 15 September to 1 October 2000. 10,651 athletes from 199 National Olympic Committees (NOC) countries participated. The competition was made up of 300 events in 28 sports Spor ...
*
List of 2004 Summer Olympics medal winners This is a list of medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics, which were held in Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterrane ...
*
200 metres at the Olympics The 200 metres at the Summer Olympics has been contested since the second edition of the multi-sport event. The men's 200 m has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 and the women's 200 m has been held continuously ...
* 4 × 100 metres relay at the Olympics * 100 metres at the World Championships in Athletics *
4 × 100 metres relay at the World Championships in Athletics 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the ...
* List of 100 metres national champions (men) *
List of University of Florida alumni This list of University of Florida alumni includes current students, former students, and graduates of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Honorary degree recipients can be found on the List of University of Florida honorary degree ...
*
List of University of Florida Olympians This List of University of Florida Olympians includes over 150 students and alumni of the University of Florida who have competed or coached in the Olympic Games, as well as current or former Florida Gators coaches who have coached in the Olymp ...
*
List of doping cases in athletics The use of performance-enhancing drugs (doping in sport) is prohibited within the sport of athletics. Athletes who are found to have used such banned substances, whether through a positive drugs test, the biological passport system, an investig ...
* List of athletes from Maryland N – Z * List of people from Gainesville, Florida *
List of people with surname Williams Williams is a common European surname. This list provides links to biographies of people who share this common surname. Common combinations of given name and surname Williams * Aaron Williams * Alan Williams * Albert Williams * Alex Williams * ...


References


External links


USATF profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Bernard 1978 births Living people Track and field athletes from Baltimore American male sprinters Olympic male sprinters Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists Florida Gators men's track and field athletes African-American track and field athletes American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in athletics USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners World Athletics Championships winners Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners