Linford Christie: Biography from Answers.com

track and field athlete

Personal Information

Born April 2, 1960, in St. Andrews, Jamaica.

Career

Sprinter. Emigrated to London, England, 1967; ran first race, as a schoolboy, 1968; joined Thames Valley Harriers track club, late 1960s; began training with coach Ron Roddan, late 1960s; achieved first world ranking with fourth-best time in 100-meter dash (10.04 seconds), 1986; became oldest man to win 100-meter dash at Olympics, 1992; beat Carl Lewis in major invitational 100-meter race, Gateshead, England, 1993; ran fastest 100-meter dash (9.87 seconds) in world, 1993.

Life's Work

Linford Christie proved that world-class sprinting is not reserved only for young athletes by becoming number one in the 100-meter dash after age 30. He was the oldest man in history to win an Olympic gold medal, which he earned at Barcelona in 1992. More than 6'2" tall and weighing 170 pounds, Christie has also defied the odds by having an amazingly fast start out of the blocks for a big man.

Ironically, Christie had contemplated quitting in 1991, following a heartbreaking loss in a major international meet; there he'd produced his personal best time. At the urging of 30-year-old Carl Lewis, who saw the drawing power of races between him and Christie as the "old men" of sprinting, Christie continued to compete and went on to record the greatest successes of his career. Christie followed up his Olympic victory with an impressive record of first places during subsequent seasons, and he maintained his reign as top sprinter by beating world-class runners such as Carl Lewis, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell, Andre Cason, Jon Drummond, and Bruny Surin.

Perhaps no other top-level sprinter in history took as long as Linford Christie to realize his full potential as an athlete. His introduction to running came soon after his family emigrated from Jamaica to the Shepherds Bush section of West London, England, in 1967. At the age of eight, Christie ran his first race during a primary school's spring event at White City Stadium, which had been the site of the 1908 Olympic games. Although Christie was not victorious, his performance showed promise and was noticed by a schoolteacher who recommended that Christie join up with a local track group. At this time Christie came under the tutelage of coach Ron Roddan, who became his close friend and continued to coach the athlete right into the 1990s.

By his own admission, Christie was hardly committed to an active training regimen as a youth. He feels that the delay in his dedication may have actually helped his career in the long run. "I was an avid partygoer, often coming home with the milk deliveries, and a devotee of rum and blackcurrant," he told Track & Field News. "But when I did start to take the sport more seriously, it meant I'd already done a lot of growing-up things before I was 24. Sometimes it's an advantage to come into the sport more mature. You don't feel you've somehow missed out on other things."

Christie first broke the 11-second barrier for the 100-meter dash at age 17, and by age 22 had achieved a best of 10.50 seconds. His times in his early twenties made him a frequent winner in races in Great Britain, but on the world stage he had yet to reach a level where he was much of a threat to win big meets. Age 24 turned out to be a pivotal year for Christie in terms of his motivation. That year Roddan made it clear that he was fed up with Christie's lack of willingness to fully develop his potential, and he told him that he should either begin training harder or hang up his spikes. Meanwhile, Christie received a letter from Andy Norman, Great Britain's top track and field promoter, stating that the sprinter had the potential to be the number one sprinter in Europe.

Buoyed by Norman's show of confidence, while also shaken up by Roddan's ultimatum, Christie began training with a new resolve. He got more sleep, worked out more intensely, and stopped drinking any alcohol. The fruits of his labors came in 1986, when as Norman had predicted, he became the European champion in the 100 meters. His best time dropped from 10.42 in 1985, to 10.04 in 1986. His 1986 best was the fourth fastest time in the world that year. The following year he moved up to third best with a personal record of 10.03, and once again was the top sprinter in Europe. He also made his mark beyond the continent by finishing third in the 1987 World Track and Field Championships in Rome.

Christie's development still left him eating the dust of such noted runners of the time as Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis. By the late 1980s, Christie focused all his attention on the upcoming Olympics, to be held in 1988, in Seoul, Korea. Lewis had won four gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, while Christie had not even been picked as a reserve for the 400-meter relay team that year. Taking third behind Johnson and Lewis in the Olympic final, Christie then was upgraded to second when Johnson was disqualified due to testing positive for steroid use. Christie's performance at Seoul and his personal best of 9.97 seconds in 1988, planted a burning desire in him for an Olympic gold. As soon as the 1988 Olympics were over he set his sights on the next games to take place four years later in Barcelona, Spain.

While Christie continued to dominate the European scene in sprinting, he still could not break through the wall of Lewis and other perennial international winners during the early 1990s. He also condemned his own country for offering little support for sprinters in comparison to its promotion of distance running. Christie developed a hostile attitude towards the British press, claiming that they had treated him badly during his career. Reports that he was too late a bloomer to achieve ultimate greatness in his event made him even more determined to show that British runners could beat Americans in the speed department.

Despite running the 100-meter dash in 9.92, which was the best performance of his career up to that time, Christie had to settle for a fourth-place finish behind three Americans in the finals at the 1991 World Track and Field Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Now age 31 and feeling that he could not run any better, Christie was depressed by his loss and considered retiring from serious running. The encouragement of Lewis and others prompted Christie to go to Australia the following winter, where he was determined to train even harder.

Christie's training boosted his confidence in 1992, and he arrived in Barcelona for the Olympic games feeling that he could definitely win this time. Christie was also chosen to be captain of the British team, a choice that was not universally embraced by the press because of the sprinter's perceived abrasiveness. Sports Illustrated quoted one critic as remarking, "he [Christie] has a perfectly balanced temperament, with a chip on each shoulder."

Helping to clear Christie's Olympic path to victory was the absence of Carl Lewis, who had failed to make the U.S. team in the 100-meter dash even though he'd set a world record in the event one year earlier. But Christie was still not the favorite at Barcelona. Former world-record holder Leroy Burrell was picked to win, and Christie also faced stiff competition from the American Dennis Mitchell and Frankie Fredericks of Namibia. Burrell had beaten Christie definitively in the semifinals with an impressive 9.97-second time, and the stage was set for a showdown in the finals.

Controversy tainted the race when Burrell was charged with a false start that he later claimed should have been charged to Christie. With Burrell facing disqualification if he committed another false start, he was forced to be cautious. Then Mitchell false started in the next attempt, further agitating the sprinters, but Christie retained his cool. "The others were getting a bit ratty with false starts," he was quoted as saying in Sports Illustrated.

The runners broke cleanly on the third attempt, with Fredericks getting out fastest. Christie claimed the lead at the 60-meter mark and held on to take the gold medal in 9.96 seconds, barely ahead of Frederick's 10.02 posted time. According to Sports Illustrated, Christie said, "Apart from Carl Lewis, I think I've got the best second-half surge. So I used it." Christie's victory was only the third ever for British sprinters; Briton Allan Wells won the race in 1980, and Harold Abrahams achieved victory in 1924 during a race featured in the film, Chariots of Fire. Wells, at age 28, had also been the oldest Olympic champion before 32-year-old Christie shattered the age barrier.

Soon after his victory in Barcelona, Christie handed Burrell another loss at a major track meet in Berlin. He finished 1992 by earning a number-one ranking in the world at 100 meters from Track & Field News, at an age five years older than any other athlete so designated. Seeming to make the clock stand still, the 33-year-old Christie continued his domination in 1993, with an impressive record of 12 races against only three losses.

One of the biggest competitions of the year as well as one the most expensive races ever in Great Britain, was a long anticipated matchup between Christie and Lewis in August at an invitational meet in Gateshead, England. It had been two years since the athletes had raced against each other, and each athlete was paid $150,000 to appear in the meet. Lewis had been claiming that Christie had avoided racing against him, but Christie scoffed at the allegations.

Tremendous publicity preceded the meeting of the world's great speed merchants, hyping the fact that Christie had so far been undefeated outdoors in 1993. Some reporters claimed that there was antagonism between Christie and Lewis, but Christie denied it. Arriving on a transatlantic flight only 24 hours before the meet, Lewis finished third behind winner Christie and second-place finisher Jon Drummond. According to Sports Illustrated, after the race Christie said, "People said I was too old since I was 26. Then I won [in Barcelona] at age 32. I am a winner."

Christie was clearly the favorite at the 1993 World Track and Field Championships held in Stuttgart, Germany. While Burrell did not make the finals, Christie still had to face Lewis and the fast-starting Andre Cason, who was only 24 years old. "Andre's times got me a bit nervous," admitted Christie in Sports Illustrated. "But I have been in major championships before. Andre has not. I figured to call on that experience to be able to dig a bit deeper." Executing a perfect start, Christie edged past Cason at 70 meters and increased his lead as he powered himself to victory.

Christie's time of 9.87 seconds was the best in the world that year, and only .01 seconds off of Lewis's world record. Many track experts consider Christie's time even more impressive than Lewis's record made in Tokyo, since the Stuttgart race was run on a softer track and with virtually no wind. It was the highlight of Christie's greatest year, and he once again was named the world's best in his event by Track & Field News.

Christie's careful selection of meet appearances over the years may be one of the keys to his longevity. Rather than worry about getting world records, he was only concerned about running fast enough to win in the important races, saying that medals are forever and records come and go. No other sprinter has ever peaked at such a late age. "It's [sprinting's] not about aggression," said Christie in Track & Field News in October of 1993. "It's actually more about relaxation." His ability to relax, refusal to worry about world records, and immense physical power have earned Christie a firm niche in the history of track and field.

Awards

Gold Medal, European Track and Field Championships, 100-meter dash, 1986, 1990; Bronze Medal, 100-meter dash, World Track and Field Championships, 1987; Gold Medal, Europe Cup, 200-meter dash, 1987; Gold Medal, Europe Cup, 100-meter dash, 1987, 1989, 1991; Silver Medal, 100-meter dash, Olympics, 1988; Gold Medal, 100-meter dash, World Cup, 1989, 1992; Gold Medal, Commonwealth Games, 100-meter dash, 1990; Bronze Medal, European Track and Field Championships, 200-meter dash, 1990; Silver Medal, World Cup, 200-meter dash, 1992; Gold Medal, 100-meter dash, Olympics, 1992; Gold Medal, 100-meter dash, World Track and Field Championships, 1993. Named number one in the world in 100-meter dash by Track & Field News, 1992, 1993.

Medal record
Men’s Athletics
Competitor for England and Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold	1992 Barcelona	100 m
Silver	1988 Seoul	100 m
Silver	1988 Seoul	4x100 m relay
World Championships
Gold	1993 Stuttgart	100 m
Silver	1993 Stuttgart	4x100 m relay
Bronze	1987 Rome	100 m
Bronze	1991 Tokyo	4x100 m relay
European Championships
Gold	1986 Stuttgart	100 m
Gold	1990 Split	100 m
Gold	1994 Helsinki	100 m
Silver	1990 Split	4x100 m relay
Bronze	1990 Split	200 m
Bronze	1986 Stuttgart	4x100 m relay
Commonwealth Games
Gold	1990 Auckland	100 m
Gold	1990 Auckland	4x100 m relay
Gold	1994 Victoria	100 m
Silver	1986 Edinburgh	4 x 100 m
Silver	1986 Edinburgh	100 m

Biography

Early years

Christie was born in Saint Andrew, Jamaica where he was brought up by his grandmother. At the age of seven he followed his parents, who had emigrated to Acton, London, England five years before. He was educated at Henry Compton Secondary School in Fulham, London and excelled in P.E.. He also joined the Air Training Corps in 1978, 336 (Hammersmith) Squadron. He did not take up athletics seriously until he was 19.

Christie's early track career was not promising. He failed to make the Great Britain team for the 1984 Summer Olympics, not even being included in the sprint relay squad. It was not until he began to work in earnest under the coaching of Ron Roddan that he began to fulfil his potential.

In 1986, he was the surprise winner of the 100 metres at the European Championships and finished second at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh at 100m, behind Ben Johnson.

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Christie won 100m silver behind Carl Lewis after Ben Johnson, who set a world record in 9.79 seconds, was disqualified following a positive drug test for anabolic steroids.

Christie faced a disciplinary hearing himself in Seoul because of an adverse drug test for the banned stimulant pseudo-ephedrine after he ran in the heats of the 200m. The hearing panel decided by a single vote to give Christie "the benefit of the doubt", so no sanction was applied.

In 1992, Christie succeeded Allan Wells as a British Olympic 100 m champion, winning the title ahead of Frankie Fredericks, of Namibia at the Barcelona Olympic Games.

In the absence of his great rival Lewis, Christie ran 9.96 s in the final, and at 32 years old became the oldest Olympic 100 m champion by four years.

In 1993, he became the first man in history to hold the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles in the 100 m as he was victorious at the Stuttgart World Championships. He was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

After 1994, he was less successful. Christie was disqualified in the 1996 Olympic final after two false starts. He retired from representative international competition in 1997,^[1], although he continued to make appearances at invitation meetings.

In February 1999, Christie competed in an indoor meet in Dortmund, Germany. A routine unannounced drug test found the banned substance nandrolone. After a six-month delay, a disciplinary hearing was convened by the British Athletic Federation which found Christie to be not guilty. But the IAAF overruled and confirmed a two-year suspension. Christie is also banned for life from British Olympic Association teams.

When the story of the positive drug test was first leaked to the press, it resulted in Puma opting not to continue Christie's £100,000 sponsorship contract. Three years earlier, at the Atlanta Olympics, Christie had worn contact lenses embossed with the Puma logo at the press conference preceding the 100 m final.^[2] Reebok had paid $40 million to be the official sponsor, and Christie's actions were seen as ambush marketing and a breach of Olympic rules on the wearing of sponsor's logos by athletes.^[3]

Though more famous for his exploits over 100 m, Christie broke the world indoor record over 200 metres with 20.25 s at Liévin in 1995, and remains the third fastest sprinter on the all time list.^[4] He remains the British record-holder at 100 m, with the 9.87 s he ran at the 1993 World Championships.

By the end of his track career Christie had won 23 medals overall, more than any other British male athlete before or since. He was appointed MBE in 1990 and OBE in 1998.^[5]

Later years and relationship with the press

In 1998, less than six months before his first positive drug test, Christie won a libel action against the journalist John McVicar. McVicar had insinuated in a satirical magazine that Christie's remarkable rise from 156th in the world to triumph at an age when he should have been in decline could only have been achieved through performance-enhancing drugs.

The jury found in Christie's favour by a 10-2 majority. The judge ordered that McVicar should be bound by an injunction restraining him from accusing Christie of taking banned substances. The modest £40,000 damages awarded were outweighed by the cost Christie incurred to bring the case.

Christie's response to the press accusations

After the judgment, McVicar called Christie "The Judy Garland of the 100 metres", referring to the emotional performance that Christie had given before the court.^[6]

During this case, Christie raised another of his grievances with the media – comments about the figure-hugging running suits that Christie wore in his races. The term Linford's lunchbox had been coined by The Sun newspaper in reference to the bulge of Christie's genitalia in his Lycra shorts.

"Linford's lunchbox is one of my grievances with the media. I don't like it … Nobody ever goes on about Sally Gunnell's breasts … I think it is disgusting, I don't like it at all."^[7] In court, the judge Mr Justice Popplewell, caused hilarity in the court by asking Christie to explain the phrase, asking "What is Linford's lunchbox?"^[8] The reference became a part of pop culture, as evidenced in a joke by Nick Hancock: "There's nothing new you can say about Linford Christie, except he's slow and has got a small penis".

Christie's anger at this unwanted attention led to his infamous "newspaper print" running suit, although he has deliberately drawn attention to his body on occasions: he has remarked that "A lot of people have looked at my physique and two things can come into their mind – admiration and envy."^[9]and appeared shirtless and flexing his muscles on the BBC youth series Reportage in 1988.

In recent years, however, Christie appears to have come to terms with the 'lunchbox' label, disclosing his preference for briefs rather than boxer shorts, and in 2002 becoming the "face" of Sloggi, the men's underwear brand, posing for advertising wearing only underwear.^[10]^[11]

B of the Bang: a sculpture named after a Christie quotation

In 1993 Christie formed a sports management and promotions company, Nuff Respect, with sprint-hurdler Colin Jackson. One of their early products was a sports training and workout video, The S Plan: Get Fit with Christie and Jackson. Jackson was later to leave the enterprise, saying "Linford has to be in control, he has to be number one, he has to be the leader."^[12] Since his positive drug test Christie - who had worked as a presenter on the BBC children's program Record Breakers and also had a contract with BBC Sport - has spent less time as a public figure and has devoted most of his time to managing his company.

Reflecting upon his track career, he stated: "I will have no complaints if people remember me as one of the best athletes in the world."^[7] Away from the track, Christie, a keen amateur gardener, he also co-hosted the BBC series Garden Invaders.

In 1993 the West London Stadium was renamed the Linford Christie Stadium in his honour. Christie's famous claim that he started races on the "B of the Bang" inspired a large public sculpture of the same name. Erected as a celebration of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, it was officially unveiled by Christie in 2004. Owing to safety concerns, it was dismantled in 2009.

Drug ban

Christie tested positive for the stimulant Pseudoephedrine at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but he escaped sanction after the International Olympic Committee's disciplinary committee voted by a margin of 11 to 10. ^[13] It was reported that one of the judging panel was asleep when the vote was taken.^[14] Reference to this is made in a television advert Christie made for Egg online banking in Autumn 1998.

At the 1994 European championships staged in Helsinki, where British team captain Christie won his third European 100m title, he was caught up in a doping controversy after Solomon Wariso, a 400m runner making his international championship debut, tested positive for the stimulant epherdrine. Wariso revealed that he had used an over-the-counter pick-you-up called "Up Your Gas", which Christie had bought at a Florida pharmacy.^[15]

In 1999, Christie was found guilty of using the performance enhancing drug Nandrolone following a doping test after an indoor meet in Germany. He was found to have more than 100 times normal levels of the metabolites of nandrolone in his urine. Various explanations were offered to explain the results, including eating avocado, or using nutritional supplements.^[16]^[17]^[18]

The IAAF rejected that explanation and gave Christie a two-year ban from athletics, despite UK Athletics feeling that there was "reasonable doubt whether the drug had been taken deliberately", a decision which ignored the usual drug testing principle of "strict liability".^[19]

Christie has always denied any wrong doing. "If I took drugs there had to be a reason to take drugs. I had pretty much retired from the sport." Furthermore, he denied that his physique was gained through drug use and promoted an anti-steroid approach: "It does not follow that all athletes who are big take drugs... Only by testing all athletes will the sport be kept clean of drugs."^[9]

Following the ban, the British Olympic Association announced that Christie would not be accredited for any future Olympic Games, in accordance with their regulations.

Role in the 2012 Olympics

In the successful London bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, Christie was absent from the team, even though he states he attempted to get involved. Christie has cited an ongoing feud between himself and former team-mate Sebastian Coe as a likely reason for the snub,^[20]^[21] although since 1999 British athletics chiefs had "overlooked" Christie because of his positive nandrolone test.^[22] Commenting on the argument, Christie's team mate, Derek Redmond, said he was "a well-balanced athlete; he has a chip on both shoulders."^[23]

However in April 2006 it was announced that Christie would be a senior mentor for athletes on the national team, along with former athletes Steve Backley, Daley Thompson and Katharine Merry.^[24] This proved controversial however, due to Christie's drugs ban. "I don't think he should be in that mentor role," said Paula Radcliffe, the marathon world record-holder. "We have to make sure that the people in that mentor role have an integrity and strong sense of ethics and morals."^[25]

The BOA has confirmed that their ban on Olympic accreditation for Christie remains in place.^[23] He was, however, personally invited by Ken Livingstone to be one of the carriers of the 2008 Olympic Torch on its journey through London, but was unable to accept because of coaching commitments.^[26] (Ken Livingstone's office has disputed the claim that the invitation was from him. See the article referenced.)

Achievements

As of 2009, Christie's British record of 9.87 seconds in the 100 metres makes him the second fastest European in history; second only to Francis Obikwelu's 9.86 s personal best which broke Christie's European record.^[27] His 100 m personal best fares favourably in comparison with his contemporaries: Carl Lewis and Frankie Fredericks managed 9.86 s while Leroy Burrell ran 9.85 s.^[27]

His gold medal performances in world, European, Commonwealth and Olympic competitions rank him as one of the most successful 100 m sprinters in international events. He won 10 gold medals and a total of 23 medals over his career in major championships; the record for any British male athlete.^[5] He was the third Briton, after Harold Abrahams and Allan Wells, and the fifth European to win the 100 m at the Olympic Games. He remains the oldest male athlete to win the 100 m at the Olympics.^[5]

In the 4 x 100 metres relay event Christie's performance as anchor, alongside Colin Jackson, Tony Jarrett and John Regis, set a European record of 37.77 s in the 1993 World Championships. This was beaten six years later by a 37.73 s run by a British team, which included his protégé Darren Campbell.^[28] However, Christie's team's performance is still the second fastest 4 x 100 m performance by a European team and one of the best by a non-United States relay team.^[29]

Over 60 metres Christie set a European record of 6.47 s in 1995 which was beaten by fellow Briton Jason Gardener in 1999 with 6.46 s. Christie has the fourth fastest time over the distance for a European after Gardener, Ronald Pognon^[30] and the current European record holder Dwain Chambers.

Christie also holds 3 current 35-39 age group world records. On 23 September 1995, Christie set the current M35 world record of 9.97 in the 100 metres. On 25 June 1995 he set the current M35 world record in the 200 metres in 20.11 seconds and on 3 January 1997 Christie set the current indoor record in the M35 60 metres in a time of 6.51 seconds.

Personal bests

Date	Event	Venue	Time (seconds)
19 February 1995	60 metres	Liévin, France	6.47
15 August 1993	100 metres	Stuttgart, Germany	9.87 (UK national record)^[31]
4 September 1994	150 metres	Sheffield, United Kingdom	14.97 (Commonwealth record)^[32]
28 September 1988	200 metres	Seoul, South Korea	20.09
1988	300 metres	?	33.80
1991	400 metres	?	47.75

All information taken from IAAF and UK Athletics profiles.^[33]^[5]

Notes

^ Christie: Legend under fire BBC Sport (1999-08-04) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Olympics Photo gallery Canoe.ca (1996-07-25) Retrieved 2009-01-20
^ Incoming URL Redirect
^ 200 Metres All Time IAAF Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Linford Christie - Hall of Fame Athletes UK Athletics; Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Thackray, Rachelle (1998-06-28). What the papers said The Independent; Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ ^a ^b L. Christie & T. Ward, Linford Christie: An Autobiography (1990, updated 1996 as To Be Honest With You)
^ Laughter as judge asks, what is Linford's lunchbox?
^ ^a ^b L. Christie & J. Nicholson, A Year in the Life of Linford Christie (1996)
^ Showing his undies is no hard Sloggi for Linford. Swindon Advertiser (2002-06-12) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Brooke, Simon (2003-01-30) Real men wear thongs The Times; Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Colin Jackson, The Autobiography (2003)
^ Christie takes the stand BBC Sport (2000-11-21) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Shadow over Christie's reputation - Telegraph
^ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/4768790/Shadow-over-Christies-reputation.html
^ Professor Ron Maughan, University of Aberdeen. Contamination of supplements: an interview with professor Ron Maughan by Louise M. Burke PubMed Retrieved 2009-01-20
^ Moorcroft backs medical research BBC Sport (2000-08-02) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Tseng, Y.L.; Kuo F.H. and Sun K.H. (2005-05-29). "Quantification and profiling of 19-norandrosterone and 19-noretiocholanolone in human urine after consumption of a nutritional supplement and norsteroids", Journal of Toxicology.
^ British trio rocked by doping bans BBC Sport (2000-08-21) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Christie hits out at Olympic snub BBC Sport (2005-10-14) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Coe and Christie clash again BBC Sport (2002-02-08) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Campbell wants Christie call-up BBC Sport (2006-07-05) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ ^a ^b Faces of the week BBC Sport (2006-08-11) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ British legends get mentor roles BBC Sport (2006-08-04) Retrieved on 2008-01-20
^ Radcliffe attacks Christie role BBC Sport (2006-08-13) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Christie will not be torch bearer BBC Sport (2008-02-22) Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ ^a ^b "100 Metres All Time". IAAF. 2009-01-20. http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=O/age=N/season=0/sex=M/all=y/legal=A/disc=100/detail.htmx. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
^ United Kingdom all-time lists men gbrathletics; Retrieved 2008-01-20
^ 4x100 Metres Relay All Time IAAF Retrieved on 2008-01-20
^ 60 Metres All Time IAAF; Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ United Kingdom national records and best performances; gbrathletics; Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Commonwealth All-time lists; gbrathletics; Retrieved on 2009-01-20
^ Christie Linford Biography IAAF; Retrieved on 2009-01-20

External links

IAAF profile for Linford Christie
Masters T&F 100 metres All-Time Rankings 9.97 (men's over 35s world rankings)
Masters T&F 200 metres All-Time Rankings 20.11 (men's over 35s world rankings)
Nuff Respect
Interview with The Guardian

Olympic Champions in Men's 100 m

1896: Tom Burke • 1900: Frank Jarvis • 1904: Archie Hahn • 1908: Reggie Walker • 1912: Ralph Craig • 1920: Charlie Paddock • 1924: Harold Abrahams • 1928: Percy Williams • 1932: Eddie Tolan • 1936: Jesse Owens • 1948: Harrison Dillard • 1952: Lindy Remigino • 1956: Bobby Joe Morrow • 1960: Armin Hary • 1964: Bob Hayes • 1968: Jim Hines • 1972: Valeri Borzov • 1976: Hasely Crawford • 1980: Allan Wells • 1984: Carl Lewis • 1988: Carl Lewis • 1992: Linford Christie • 1996: Donovan Bailey • 2000: Maurice Greene • 2004: Justin Gatlin • 2008: Usain Bolt

v • d • e World Champions in Men's 100 m

1983 Carl Lewis · 1987 Carl Lewis · 1991 Carl Lewis · 1993 Linford Christie · 1995 Donovan Bailey · 1997 Maurice Greene · 1999 Maurice Greene · 2001 Maurice Greene · 2003 Kim Collins · 2005 Justin Gatlin · 2007 Tyson Gay · 2009 Usain Bolt

European Champions in Men's 100 m

1934: Chris Berger · 1938: Tinus Osendarp · 1946: John Archer · 1950: Étienne Bally · 1954: Heinz Fütterer · 1958: Armin Hary · 1962: Claude Piquemal · 1966: Wiesław Maniak · 1969: Valeri Borzov · 1971: Valeri Borzov · 1974: Valeri Borzov · 1978: Pietro Mennea · 1982: Frank Emmelmann · 1986: Linford Christie · 1990: Linford Christie · 1994: Linford Christie · 1998: Darren Campbell · 2002: Francis Obikwelu · 2006: Francis Obikwelu

v • d • e Commonwealth Champions in Men's 100 m

1930 – 1966: 100 yards • 1970 – 2006: 100 metres

1930: Percy Williams (CAN) • 1934: Arthur Sweeney (ENG) • 1938: Cyril Holmes (ENG) • 1950: John Treloar (AUS) • 1954: Mike Agostini (TRI) • 1958: Keith Gardner (JAM) • 1962: Seraphino Antao (KEN) • 1966: Harry Jerome (CAN) • 1970 – 1978: Don Quarrie (JAM) • 1982: Allan Wells (SCO) • 1986: Ben Johnson (CAN) • 1990 – 1994: Linford Christie (ENG) • 1998: Ato Boldon (TRI) • 2002: Kim Collins (SKN) • 2006: Asafa Powell (JAM)

v • d • e IAAF World/Continental Cup Champions in Men's 100 m

1977: Steve Williams (USA) • 1979 : James Sanford (USA) • 1981: Allan Wells (GBR) • 1985: Ben Johnson (CAN) • 1989 – 1994: Linford Christie (GBR) • 1998: Obadele Thompson (BAR) • 2002: Uchenna Emedolu (NGR) • 2006: Tyson Gay (USA)

Post-War British Olympic Champions in Men's Athletics

European Athlete of the Year (men)

Linford Christie (1993) · Colin Jackson (1994) · Jonathan Edwards (1995) · Jan Železný (1996) · Wilson Kipketer (1997) · Jonathan Edwards (1998) · Tomáš Dvořák (1999) · Jan Železný (2000) · André Bucher (2001) · Dwain Chambers (2002) · Christian Olsson (2003) · Christian Olsson (2004) · Virgilijus Alekna (2005) · Francis Obikwelu (2006) · Tero Pitkämäki (2007) · Andreas Thorkildsen (2008) ·

v • d • e BBC Sports Personality of the Year winners

1954-1959	1954 Christopher Chataway · 1955 Gordon Pirie · 1956 Jim Laker · 1957 Dai Rees · 1958 Ian Black · 1959 John Surtees

1960-1969	1960 David Broome · 1961 Stirling Moss · 1962 Anita Lonsbrough · 1963 Dorothy Hyman · 1964 Mary Rand · 1965 Tom Simpson · 1966 Bobby Moore · 1967 Henry Cooper · 1968 David Hemery · 1969 Ann Jones

1970-1979	1970 Henry Cooper · 1971 HRH The Princess Anne · 1972 Mary Peters · 1973 Jackie Stewart · 1974 Brendan Foster · 1975 David Steele · 1976 John Curry · 1977 Virginia Wade · 1978 Steve Ovett · 1979 Sebastian Coe

1980-1989	1980 Robin Cousins · 1981 Ian Botham · 1982 Daley Thompson · 1983 Steve Cram · 1984 Torvill and Dean (Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean) · 1985 Barry McGuigan · 1986 Nigel Mansell · 1987 Fatima Whitbread · 1988 Steve Davis · 1989 Nick Faldo

1990-1999	1990 Paul Gascoigne · 1991 Liz McColgan · 1992 Nigel Mansell · 1993 Linford Christie · 1994 Damon Hill · 1995 Jonathan Edwards · 1996 Damon Hill · 1997 Greg Rusedski · 1998 Michael Owen · 1999 Lennox Lewis

2000-2009	2000 Steve Redgrave · 2001 David Beckham · 2002 Paula Radcliffe · 2003 Jonny Wilkinson · 2004 Kelly Holmes · 2005 Andrew Flintoff · 2006 Zara Phillips · 2007 Joe Calzaghe · 2008 Chris Hoy

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Nigel Mansell	BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1993	Succeeded by Damon Hill
Sporting positions
Preceded by None	Men's European Athlete of the Year 1993	Succeeded by Colin Jackson

Records
Preceded by Marian Woronin	European Record Holder Men's 100 m 24 September 1988 - 22 August 2004	Succeeded by Francis Obikwelu

Persondata
NAME	Christie, Linford
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	English athlete, Olympic medalist
DATE OF BIRTH	2 April 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH	Saint Andrew, Jamaica
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

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Linford Christie

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