Fred Taylor (born November 5, 1957) is an American retired sprinter. Taylor qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history and one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summ ...

. He did however receive one of 461

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

s created especially for the spurned athletes. Taylor finished second behind fellow American

Stanley Floyd Stanley Floyd (born June 23, 1961) is a retired track and field sprinter from the United States. He was a 1979 graduate of Dougherty High School in Albany, Georgia. In 1980, he was considered one of the favorites for the 100m title but was denie ...

in the 200 metres event at the British

1981 AAA Championships The 1981 AAA Championships sponsored by Nationwide Building Society, Nationwide was the 1981 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 7 to 8 August 1981 at t ...

References

1957 births Living people American male sprinters Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Place of birth missing (living people) Congressional Gold Medal recipients FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1979 Summer Universiade 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-sprint-athletics-bio-stub