Gail Devers Drops Out, Misses Third Chance at 100m Olympic Medal
by Mary J. Shomon
 |
"The more hurdles I went over, the more painful it got..."' --Gail Devers |
In the Olympic 100 meter hurdles semifinals round in Sydney on Wednesday, September 27, 2000, Olympian and high-profile thyroid patient advocate Gail Devers' efforts to win the medal that has eluded her ended when she pulled out of the race due to a hamstring injury.
Speaking to NBC, Devers said: "The more hurdles I went over, the more painful it got," she said. "The last hurdle (fourth hurdle), I couldn't get my leg over it. I just went through it."
Winner of the gold medal for the 100m hurdles was Olga Shishigina, from Kasakhstan with a time of 12.65, Gloria Alozie of Nigeria took the silver with 12.68, and Melissa Morrison of the U.S. took bronze at 12.76. Earlier this season, Devers broke the U.S. 100m record, with a time of 12.33. The world record was set in 1988 by Jordanka Donkova of Bulgaria, who is also the Olympic record holder with a time of 12.38 at the 1988 games.
Devers, who ran well in the first two rounds of qualifying heats on Monday, was having increasing pain from the injury, which she suffered earlier in the season in Belgium. An MRI in Sydney had revealed a serious bone chip."
Devers' inability to compete also jeopardizes the American women's team chance at the 4x100-meter relay team, which calls into question Marion Jones' chances to win five gold medals at the Sydney Games.
This injury,and inability to compete for the gold is the latest in Devers' series of misfortunes in the Olympic hurdles event. At the Barcelona games in 1992, she was the favorite but hit the last hurdle, and in Atlanta, she finished fourth.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GAIL DEVERS, THE SYDNEY OLYMPICS, AND GRAVES' DISEASE/HYPERTHYROIDISM
- Frequently Asked Questions on Hyperthyroidism/Graves' Disease
- Women's 100-Meter Hurdles Fact Sheet -- From the About Track and Field Site
- About Track and Field
- Gail Devers' Biography -- NBC's Official Olympics Site
- Gail Devers' Official Website
- NBC's Official Olympics Site
- Official Site of the Sydney 2000 Olympics
- Official Site of the International Olympic Committee
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