Passion J. Richardson (born January 25, 1975) is an American former

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who competed in

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace * Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automobiles *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, a rebadged v ...

ing events. She had most of her success with the American women's

4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky i ...

team. She ran in the heats at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

and the Americans won the bronze medal in the final.

Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is an American former world champion track-and-field athlete and former professional basketball player. She won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 ...

(who replaced Richardson in the final) later admitted to doping and Richardson and her teammates lodged an appeal with the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...

in order to retain their medals. Aside from her Olympic appearance she was a relay gold medalist at the

1997 Summer Universiade The 1997 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIX Summer Universiade, took place in the island of Sicily, Italy. The United States topped the medal table. Venues Catania * Stadio Angelo Massimino — closing ceremonies and athletics * Teatro ...

and silver medalist at the

1999 Pan American Games The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games () or the 13th Pan American Games and commonly known as Winnipeg 1999, were a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23 to August 8, 1999, in Winnipeg, Ma ...

. Individually, she was a

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

finalist 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 Oly ...

in 1999 and 2000. Her best national placing was runner-up in the

60-meter dash 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the mi ...

at the

USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships i ...

in 2000. She retired from the sport in 2001 and returned to her alma mater, the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

, as a track coach.

Career

Born in

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

,Passion Richardson
Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2013-11-30. she grew up in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and attended

Berea High School Berea High School (BHS) was a high school located in Berea, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1882 and served students in grades nine through 12. Its most recent campus, located immediately east of Baldwin Wallace University, was built in ...

Berea, Ohio Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,545 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A western suburb of Cleveland, it is a part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area. Berea is home ...

. After graduating in 1993 she went on to study marketing at the

.Passion Richardson
Sports and Drugs. Retrieved on 2013-11-30. While there she competed athletically for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

and gained four

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n honours: she was an indoor

55 metres 55 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field. The history of the event lies in the 60-yard dash, which is about 5 inches shorter than 55 metres. Since the 1960s alm ...

finalist in 1994 and 1996, a

4 × 100 metres relay The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners must begin in the same stagger as for the indiv ...

finalist in 1996, and a

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

finalist in 1997.Passion Richardson
University of Kentucky. Retrieved on 2013-11-30. In 1997 she set a personal record of 11.28 seconds for the 100 m at the United States Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She also won her first international medal that year, taking the gold in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1997 World University Games.Passion Richardson

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

. Retrieved on 2013-11-30. At the end of the year she ran a best of 7.20 seconds for the

. She came close to a medal in that event at the 1998 United States Indoor Track and Field Championships, ending up in fourth place. She failed to get past the heats of the outdoor 100 m event later that year. In 1999 she was a finalist in both the 60 m (sixth) and the 100 m (eighth) at the national championships.Passion Richardson
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2013-11-30. A second international relay medal came for Richardson at the

, as the team took the silver medals. At the 2000 USA Indoor Championships she claimed second place in the 60 m, equalling her personal record. She took eighth place at the United States Olympic Trials – a finish which earned her the honour of being the alternate heat runner for the

United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics The United States of America (USA), the previous host of the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta, competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. 586 competitors, 333 men and 253 women, took part in 265 events in 31 sports. Medalists The followi ...

. At the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

she ran the relay team through the heats and semi-final stage, alongside

Chryste Gaines Chryste Dionne Gaines (born September 14, 1970, in Lawton, Oklahoma) is an American Olympic athlete who competed mainly in the sprints. Education Gaines is a 1988 graduate of South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, Texas.Torri Edwards Torri Edwards (born January 31, 1977) is an American sprinter. She competes in 100 and 200 meters, winning an Olympic medal in 4 × 100-meter relay in 2000. In 2003, she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Ch ...

and Nanceen Perry, before being switched for

in the final. Jones later admitted to using

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances (PESs), also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. Many substances, such as anabolic steroids, can be used to improve at ...

during the games. Richardson and the other runners filed an appeal at the

to contest their disqualification and retain their medals. In her defense, she said in an interview on ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of '' CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the n ...

'': "I competed fairly. I should not have to suffer the consequences for someone else's bad decisions and choices...I don’t believe that I should have to give back my medal...you don't know what was going on in the other teams, so how do you really rectify that situation? There's really no positive outcome in either way that it goes."Should the Teammates of Athletes Who Are Found Guilty of Using Performance Enhancing Drugs in the Olympics Also Return Their Medals?
Sports And Drugs. Retrieved on 2013-11-30. After the Sydney Olympics, her career began to wind down. Her fifth-place finish in the 60 m at the national indoor championships was her last performance at the national level. She returned to her alma mater in the middle of that year and she became an assistant coach on the Kentucky Wildcats staff.

Personal records

55-meter dash 55 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field. The history of the event lies in the 60-yard dash, which is about 5 inches shorter than 55 metres. Since the 1960s alm ...

– 6.83 seconds (1999) *

– 7.20 seconds (1997) *

– 11.28 seconds (1997) *

200-meter dash 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 slight ...

– 23.56 seconds (2000)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Passion 1975 births Living people American female sprinters African-American track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from North Carolina Kentucky Wildcats women's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Kentucky American sportswomen People from Fort Bragg, North Carolina Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Olympic female sprinters 21st-century African-American sportswomen 21st-century American sportswomen 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen