Evelyn Ashford

Event: Sprints

Inducted to Hall of Fame: 1994

Simply one of the most accomplished sprinters in history. Evelyn competed at four Olympic Games, won a 100m gold medal, and brought home a total of five Olympic medals. She lowered the World Record at 100m twice, and broke the American Record at 100m and 200m a total of eight times.

Evelyn was a great friend of the Relays, taking part in 15 years of competition. In addition to the four individual titles she won, Evelyn also ran on four winning relay teams.

Evelyn was the first American woman to break through two sprint barriers: 11.0 seconds for 100m, and 22.0 seconds for 200m. Her second 100m World Record, and PR, served to quiet critics who claimed her 1984 Olympic 100m was tainted by the Communist boycott. After winning Olympic gold, Evelyn traveled to Europe, where she met and beat the the top runners who did not participate in the Olympics -- and set a World Record in the process.

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Evelyn finished second behind the great Florence Griffith Joyner. She collected her second 4x100m relay gold medal in 1988, then returned to Olympic action in 1992 to claim a third consecutive 4x100m relay gold medal.

Born: 1957

College: UCLA

• 100m
  • 1977: 2nd, 11.67
  • 1984: 1st, 10.88w
  • 1986: 1st, 11.11
• 200m
  • 1977: 1st, 23.22w
  • 1983: 1st, 22.07
• 400m
  • 1979: 4th, 52.8
  • 1987: 5th, 53.55
    
    
    

• PRs:
  • 100m: 10.76 (WR)
  • 200m: 21.83
  • 400m: 51.08
• Broke World Record twice:
  • 1983: 10.79A
  • 1984: 10.76
• Broke American 100m Record 5 times:
  • 1979: 11.07
  • 1979: 10.97
  • 1981: 10.90A
  • 1983: 10.79A
  • 1984: 10.76
• Broke American 200m Record 3 times:
  • 1979: 22.45
  • 1979: 22.27
  • 1979: 21.83
• Olympic Gold Medal, 1984
  • 10.97
• Olympic Gold Medal 4x100m Relay
  • 1984: 41.65
  • 1988: 41.98
  • 1992: 42.11
• Olympic Silver Medal, 1988
  • 10.83w
• Olympic 5th place finish, 1976
  • 11.24
• World Cup 100m Champion
  • 1979: 11.06
  • 1981: 11.02
• World Cup 200m Champion
  • 1979: 21.83
  • 1981: 22.18
• U.S. National Champion:
  • 100m
  • 1977: 11.39w
  • 1979: 11.01w
  • 1981: 11.07
  • 1982: 10.96
  • 1983: 11.24
  • 200m
  • 1977: 22.62
  • 1978: 22.66
  • 1979: 22.07w
  • 1981: 22.30
  • 1983: 21.88
• Pan-Am Champion, 1979
  • 100m: 11.07
  • 200m: 22.24w