Mitchell "Mitch" Potter (born September 16, 1980) is a male American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete, who competes in the sprints events, primarily the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is on ...

. He is best known for winning the men's 400 metres event at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

Early life

Potter was born in St. Michael, Minnesota and attended

St. Michael-Albertville High School St. Michael-Albertville High School (also referred to as "STMA High School") is a public high school located in St. Michael, Minnesota, United States. Known as "STMA" for short, the high school located to a new building which opened for the 2009 ...

. While in high school, he won five state Track and Field titles, and in August 2012 still held two state records in the Class A 300-meter hurdles and 4 X 400 meter relay. He was a member of the 1999 STMA Track Team that won the MSHSL Track & Field Class A Championship.

Professional career

Potter earned his spot in 2003 Pan American games by finishing 4th at the

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 Olym ...

Potter had set his personal best (44.58) in the 400 metres a week earlier on June 14, 2003 in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

while finishing 3rd at the

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship refers to one of three annual collegiate outdoor track and field competitions for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for athletes from institutions that make up ...

s for the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

behind teammate (and future 4x400 relay teammate at the Pan Am Games), Adam Steele. He was a 9 time

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

All American. Potter has continued to run beyond college with occasional success. He himself complains his tendency to go out too hard at the beginning of the race costs him coming home. In 2004 he finished seventh in the semifinal at the Olympic Trials (45.67), second at the Drake Relays (46.89) and first at Cedar Falls (44.88). He did not compete in 2005. Potter graduated from the

in 2004. Potter was inducted into the St. Michael-Albertville High School Hall of Fame in August 2012.

References

External links

*
St. Michael Patch: St. Michael-Albertville Announces 2012 Inductees to the Hall of Fame

USA Track & Field: MITCH POTTER

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Mitch 1980 births Living people American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Sportspeople from Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni People from St. Michael, Minnesota Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games