Larry Myricks (born 10 March 1956) is an American former

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

, who mainly competed in the long jump event. He is a two-time winner of the World Indoor Championships (1987, 1989) and a two-time winner of the World Cup (1979, 1989). He also won a bronze medal at the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, and bronze medals at the World Championships in 1987 and 1991.

Career

Myricks was born in Clinton, Mississippi. A durable jumper, he first broke onto the track scene in 1976. While competing for Mississippi College, he was the NCAA Champion in the long jump. He followed that with a second place at the U. S. Olympic Trials, beating defending Olympic champion Randy Williams in the process. At the 1976 Olympics, he broke his foot while warming up for the final and was unable to compete. His teammates Arnie Robinson and Williams finished 1 and 2. The three American jumpers had been easily the top three jumpers in qualifying. In 1979 he won again the NCAA Championship, this time both indoors and outdoors. He was also the US National Champion (27–2), and World Cup Champion (8.52 m). He repeated as U.S. national champion in 1980 and in 1989. He competed for the United States at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

held in Seoul, South Korea, where he won the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

in the men's long jump competition. In addition to the 1976 Olympics, Myricks won the 1980 Olympic Trials (over a young Carl Lewis), the team that did not go to the Olympics due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was 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 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and its allies later ...

. As consolation, he received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. He finished second to Lewis in the 1984 Olympic Trials.http://www.legacy.usatf.org/usatf/files/69/695a8112-b7a0-4b9d-9dbb-8b4bca22677c.pdf He finished fourth in the Olympics that year. He set his personal best of 8.74 m (28' 8") in the long jump at the 1988 Olympic Trials. That jump still ranks Myricks as the number 5 long jumper ever. It was the trials record, for a few minutes, until surpassed by Carl Lewis. After qualifying for four straight Olympic teams, Myricks returned in 1992 as a 36-year-old to a fifth Olympic Trials, finishing in seventh place. Myricks was the third-place jumper at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics - Men's Long Jump when Lewis and

Mike Powell Michael Anthony Powell (born November 10, 1963) is an American former track and field athlete, and the holder of the long jump world record. He is a two-time world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist in this event. His world record of ...

were fighting over the world record, what many consider the greatest long jump competition ever. Based on a statistical comparison of 8.16 meters, Myricks had more competitions (170) over that mark than any other competitor. Moving that comparison to 8.50 m, he ranks second (17) to Carl Lewis (39) (as of 1996; since 1996, only 9 jumpers have jumped 8.50). Myricks' last 8.50 in 1991, at the age of 35, is tied with Lewis' mark from the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

as the M35 Masters World Record. He was also a useful

200 m 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 slightl ...

sprinter, with a best of 20.03 s at the US National Championships in 1983 behind his nemesis Carl Lewis, who along with

overshadowed him for most of his career. He ran the 200 at the

1983 World Championships in Athletics The 1st 1983 World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between 7 and 14 August 1983. Summary The overall med ...

. Myricks won the U.S. nationals in the 200 meters in 1988. Myricks is also a graduate of Mississippi College. He was coached there by Joe Walker (now at Ole Miss). Larry Myricks was suspended (May 1990) by the TAC after a positive test for a banned stimulant before the 1990 U.S. Championships. This suspension was extended to a lifetime ban for two subsequent positive tests. He was later reinstated after having served only one year.

International competitions

References

External links

USTAF Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myricks, Larry 1956 births Living people American male long jumpers Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics People from Clinton, Mississippi Track and field athletes from Mississippi World record holders in masters athletics World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Mississippi College alumni Doping cases in athletics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Congressional Gold Medal recipients American masters athletes Goodwill Games medalists in athletics World Athletics Indoor Championships winners Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games