Hazel Mae Clark (born October 3, 1977) is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the

800 meters The 800 metres, or 800 meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event sin ...

middle distance race. She was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She has won six national titles and two USA Olympic Trials events during her career.

Early life and education

Clark was born in

Livingston, New Jersey Livingston is a township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 31,330, its highest United States census, decennial co ...

. She is the daughter of inner-city educator Joe Louis Clark, who inspired the film '' Lean on Me'', and the sister-in-law of fellow Olympian Jearl Miles-Clark. Joetta Clark Diggs is her older sister. Hazel Clark, her sister, and her sister-in-law made history when they swept the 2000 Olympic trials 800 meters. Clark 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 ...

. She 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 she was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team and was coached by her brother J.J. While at Florida, she was undefeated in SEC competition and won five NCAA titles. Clark graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

in 2001. She was honored for her college athletic record when she was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2012.

Career

Clark finished seventh at the 2000 Olympic Games. At the 2001 World Championships, she did not progress past the first round due to injury. In 2001, she was given a warning for using

pseudoephedrine Pseudoephedrine, sold under the brand name Sudafed among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used as a decongestant to treat nasal congestion. It has also been used off-label for certain other indications, like treatment of lo ...

. Shortly before the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Clark suffered severe burns on her back caused by an accident which limited her training. She did not proceed from her first-round heat in the

. She then had two good seasons with an eighth place at the 2005 World Championships, seventh place at the

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and

2006 World Athletics Final The 4th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion in Stuttgart, Germany on September 9 and September 10, 2006. Results Men Women References External linksOfficial 4th IAAF World Athletics Final Site
{{DEFAU ...

, and a sixth place at the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams represe ...

. In 2008, she won her second U.S. Olympic Trials 800 meters final held in Eugene, Oregon, and competed at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

. Her personal best time is 1:57.99 minutes, achieved in July 2005 at the

Bislett Games The Bislett Games is an annual track and field meeting at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. History The first international athletics meeting at Bislett ...

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. Clark has appeared in three global Nike ads appearing in fashion magazines, stores, and billboards. She has been marketed by Nike as a spokesmodel throughout her career. She is the Director of Global Sales for the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

References

External links

*
USA Track & Field: Hazel Clark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Hazel 1977 births Living people American female middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Doping cases in athletics Florida Gators women's track and field athletes Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Sportspeople from Livingston, New Jersey Track and field athletes from New Jersey Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen Columbia High School (New Jersey) alumni

Early life and education

Career

See also

References

External links