Dawn Sowell (born 27 March 1966) is an American former sprinter who ran the fastest times in the

100 meters 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 ...

and

200 meters 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 ...

in 1989, with 10.78 secs and 22.04 secs. The 10.78 clocking made her the third-fastest woman of all-time at that time, and still ranks her 19th on the world all-time list (as of 2024).

Early life

Dawn was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, one of seven children, the daughter of an electrician. Her mother worked three jobs simultaneously, until moving to a career in real estate. Sowell attended Chester High School in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

. She had no interest in sport until she realized that she was faster than the boys in her gym class. Her family moved to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, where she graduated from Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe High School in 1984. She matriculated to junior college and moved to Texas.LSU's Sowell proving no flash in the pan
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', Christine Brennan, June 25, 1989. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

Career

She moved on to

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

, competing for their

LSU Lady Tigers track and field The LSU Lady Tigers track and field team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I women's indoor and outdoor track and field. History The Lady Tiger program began in August 1978. The LSU Lady Tigers track and field program is t ...

team. She was the holder of the American collegiate record in the 100 m with her best time of 10.78 seconds, set in the qualifying heats at the 1989

NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships The NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships are the annual collegiate track and field competitions for women athletes representing Division I institutions organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). I ...

, where she won in 10.91 after a slow start. In 2019

Sha'Carri Richardson Sha'Carri Richardson ( ; born March 25, 2000) is an American track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. Richardson rose to fame in 2019 as a freshman at Louisiana State University, running 10.75 seconds to break th ...

, also from

broke the record with a time of 10.75. Sowell also won the 200m in 22.04 secs, to become the fastest woman in the world over both sprints in 1989. Although she did not apply herself to either studies or training, she quickly excelled on the track. At the end of 1989, her bests ranked her third on the US and world all-time 100m list (behind

Florence Griffith-Joyner Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (born Florence Delorez Griffith; December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded. She was married to Al Joyner, a 198 ...

and

Evelyn Ashford Evelyn Ashford (born April 15, 1957) is an American retired track and field athlete, the 1984 Olympic champion in the 100-meter dash, and the world record-holder in the 60-yard dash. She ran under the 11-second barrier over 30 times and was t ...

), sixth on the US all-time 200m list (behind

(FloJo),

Valerie Brisco-Hooks Valerie Brisco-Hooks (born Valerie Ann Brisco; July 6, 1960, in Greenwood, Mississippi) is an Olympian who won three gold medals as an Olympic track and field athlete at the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles, California, making her the first Olympi ...

, Ashford,

Pam Marshall Pam Marshall (born August 16, 1960) is a retired American sprinter. She won a gold medal in the sprint relay and finished fourth in the 200 m final at the 1987 World Championships. She won the 200 m at the 1986 Goodwill Games and was a three- ...

Chandra Cheeseborough Chandra Danette Cheeseborough (later ''Shellman'', born January 10, 1959) is a retired American sprinter. She won two gold medals and a silver at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Track and field Cheeseborough broke onto the internationa ...

and

Gwen Torrence Gwendolyn Lenna Torrence (born June 12, 1965) is a retired American sprinter and Olympic champion. She was born in Decatur, Georgia. She attended Columbia High School and the University of Georgia. She was offered a scholarship because of her ...

) and 15th on the 200m world all-time list. As of 2021, she ranks 7th (100) and 19th (200) on the US all-time lists and 16th (100) and 43rd (200) on the world all-time lists. Sowell won her first and only senior national title at the 1989 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, taking the 100 m crown in 11.12 seconds, ahead of

Sheila Echols Sheila Ann Echols (born October 2, 1964) is a retired track and field athlete from the United States who competed in the 100 metres and the long jump. She won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in the 4 × 100 m relay. She also won the ...

and Esther Jones. Her only international appearance for the United States followed at the

1989 IAAF World Cup The 5th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 8–10, 1989, at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Spain. ...

, where she was a member of the bronze medal-winning

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 ...

team alongside Echols, Jones and Wendy Vereen. She was tipped to be the next FloJo , but retired from track and field due to chronic injury problems. Sowell is now a public speaker, focusing on health and wellness.

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:

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

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 ...

: 1989 **

200 m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a Sprint (running), 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 th ...

: 1989

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sowell, Dawn 1966 births Chester High School alumni Living people Track and field athletes from Philadelphia American female sprinters LSU Lady Tigers track and field athletes African-American track and field athletes USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century African-American sportswomen 21st-century American sportswomen 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen Sportspeople from Chester, Pennsylvania NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners

Early life

Career

International competitions

National titles

See also

References