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 Columbia High School may refer to: *Columbia High School (Huntsville, Alabama) *Columbia High School (Georgia) *Columbia High School (Florida) *Columbia High School (Idaho) *Columbia High School (Illinois) *Columbia High School (Mississippi), a Mis ...

and the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

. She was offered a scholarship because of her athletic abilities, but she said she wasn't interested because she initially wanted to become a beautician. From the persuasion from her coaches and family, she chose to enroll to the

. In the early 1990s, Gwen Torrence was one of the best sprinters in the world, winning five Olympic medals, and three gold. Torrence won medals at the Summer Olympics, Outdoor & Indoor World Championships, Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, and World University Games. In 1988, Torrence achieved a tie with Evelyn Ashford in the 55 m race at the U.S. national indoor championships. She also had many battles both on the track and in the press with Florence Griffith Joyner. In the 200 m at the 1995 World Championships, she was disqualified for stepping out of her lane after finishing first. This left her idol, Merlene Ottey, to be promoted to first place. In 2000 she was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

International competitions

National titles

* USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships **100 m: 1995 **200 m: 1988, 1993, 1995 * USA Indoor Track and Field Championships **55 m: 1989 **60 m: 1994, 1995, 1996 **200 m: 1994, 1996

Personal bests

Outdoor * 100-meter dash – 10.82 (1994) * 200-meter dash – 21.72 (1992) * 400-meter dash – 49.64 (1992) Indoor * 50-meter dash – 6.07 (1996) * 55-meter dash – 6.56 (1987) * 60-meter dash – 7.02 (1996)

Awards

* World Athletics Awards :: World Athlete of the Year (Women)：1995

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Torrence, Gwen 1965 births Living people Sportspeople from Decatur, Georgia Track and field athletes from Atlanta American female sprinters African-American track and field athletes Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists Georgia Bulldogs women's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Goodwill Games medalists in athletics FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States IAAF World Athlete of the Year USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners World Athletics Championships winners Medalists at the 1985 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 1987 Summer Universiade Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games Olympic female sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 21st-century African-American sportswomen 21st-century American sportswomen 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen Australian Athletics Championships winners United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field) NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners