Linford Christie

Linford Christie

OBE

Christie in 2009
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1960-04-02) 2 April 1960 (age 64) Saint Andrew, Jamaica
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[1]
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Great Britain Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 2 0 World Championships 1 1 2 World Indoor Championships 0 2 0 European Championships 3 1 2 European Indoor Championships 3 0 1 Commonwealth Games 3 2 0 Total 11 8 5 Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona 100 m 1988 Seoul 100 m 1988 Seoul 4×100 m relay World Championships 1993 Stuttgart 100 m 1993 Stuttgart 4×100 m relay 1987 Rome 100 m 1991 Tokyo 4×100 m relay World Indoor Championships 1991 Seville 60 m 1991 Seville 200 m European Championships 1986 Stuttgart 100 m 1990 Split 100 m 1994 Helsinki 100 m 1990 Split 4×100 m relay 1990 Split 200 m 1986 Stuttgart 4×100 m relay European Indoor Championships 1986 Madrid 200 m 1988 Budapest 60 m 1990 Glasgow 60 m 1988 Budapest 200 m Representing  England Commonwealth Games 1990 Auckland 100 m 1990 Auckland 4×100 m relay 1994 Victoria 100 m 1986 Edinburgh 100 m 1986 Edinburgh 4×100 m relay
Updated on 20 July 2012

Linford Christie OBE (born 2 April 1960) is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter and athletics coach. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He was the first European athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m and held the British record in the event for close to 30 years. He is a former world indoor record holder over 200 metres, and a former European record holder in the 60 metres, 100 m and 4 × 100 metres relay.

He remains one of the most highly decorated British athletes of all-time. By the end of his track career Christie had won 24 medals overall, more than any other British male athlete before or since. In 1993 he was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Christie tested positive for a banned stimulant in 1988 during the Seoul Olympics. In 1999 he was suspended for two years by the IAAF after the banned substance nandrolone was found in a test, although he had been effectively in retirement since 1997.

As a coach, two of his charges, Darren Campbell and Katharine Merry, went on to win Olympic and World medals.