Golden West Invitational
Encyclopedia
The Golden West Invitational (GWI) high school track & field
all-star meet brings together top high school athletes from throughout the country and provides them with the very highest levels of competition. The GWI made its debut in 1960 and is held in the Sacramento
, CA
area in June each year.
Past participants have represented the United States
in every Olympic Games
since 1964 and have filled more than 150 positions on the American Olympic Track & Field teams. They have won more than 75 medals, 40 of them gold. An additional nine GWI athletes represented their native countries of France
, Ireland
, Japan
, Trinidad/Tobago, Fiji
, Jamaica
and Cape Verde Islands.
GWI alums include the following track & field legends:
Recent Olympic medalists who participated at the GWI meet include:
Future NFL football stars who participated at the GWI meet include:
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
all-star meet brings together top high school athletes from throughout the country and provides them with the very highest levels of competition. The GWI made its debut in 1960 and is held in the Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, CA
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
area in June each year.
Past participants have represented the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in every Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
since 1964 and have filled more than 150 positions on the American Olympic Track & Field teams. They have won more than 75 medals, 40 of them gold. An additional nine GWI athletes represented their native countries of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Trinidad/Tobago, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and Cape Verde Islands.
GWI alums include the following track & field legends:
- Evelyn AshfordEvelyn AshfordEvelyn Ashford is a retired American athlete, the 1984 Olympic champion in the 100 m. She has run under the 11 second barrier over 30 times and was the first to run under 11 seconds in an Olympic Games.As a 19-year-old, Ashford finished 5th in the 100 m event at the 1976 Summer Olympics...
- Bob BeamonBob BeamonRobert "Bob" Beamon is an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, which remained the world record for almost 23 years until it was broken in 1991 by Mike Powell. This is the second longest holding of this record, as...
- Stacy DragilaStacy DragilaStacy Renée Mikaelsen is an American former pole vaulter.She won the first gold medal in women's pole vaulting at the 2000 Summer Olympics coached by Dave Nielsen...
- Marty LiquoriMarty LiquoriMartin Liquori is an American middle distance athlete.Liquori first rose to fame when he became the third American high schooler to break the four-minute mile by running a 3:59.8 in 1967, three years after Jim Ryun first did it.He grew up in Cedar Grove, New Jersey and attended Essex Catholic...
- Steve PrefontaineSteve PrefontaineSteve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters...
- Jim RyunJim RyunJames Ronald Ryun is an American former track athlete and politician, who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1996 to 2007, representing the 2nd District in Kansas. In the 2006 election, Ryun was defeated by Democratic challenger Nancy Boyda...
- Tommie SmithTommie SmithTommie Smith is an African American former track & field athlete and wide receiver in the American Football League. At the 1968 Summer Olympics, Smith won the 200-meter dash finals in 19.83 seconds – the first time the 20 second barrier was broken...
- Dwight StonesDwight StonesDwight Edwin Stones is an American television commentator and a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and former three-time world record holder in the men's high jump. During his 16-year career, he won 19 national championships. In 1984, Stones became the first athlete to both compete and announce at...
Recent Olympic medalists who participated at the GWI meet include:
- Allyson FelixAllyson FelixAllyson Felix is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for the United States, primarily in the 200 meters. She also competes at the 100 meters and the 400 meters distances...
- Kenny Harrison
- Joanna HayesJoanna HayesJoanna Dove Hayes is an American hurdler, who won the gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics....
- Monique HendersonMonique HendersonMonique Henderson is a track and field athlete, competing internationally for the United States. She was a gold medalist in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China....
- Meb Keflezighi
- Jeremy WarinerJeremy WarinerJeremy Mathew Wariner is an American track athlete specializing in the 400 meters. He has won four Olympic medals and six World Championships medals...
Future NFL football stars who participated at the GWI meet include:
- Terry BradshawTerry BradshawTerry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
- Michael Carter
- Russ FrancisRuss FrancisRussell Ross Francis , is a former professional football player who was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 1st round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He grew up in Hawaii. A 6'6", 242 lbs. tight end from the University of Oregon, Francis played in 13 NFL seasons. He retired temporarily in 1981, then...
- Bob HayesBob HayesRobert Lee "Bullet Bob" Hayes was an Olympic sprinter turned American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. An American track and field athlete, he was a two-sport stand-out in college in both track and football at Florida A&M University...
- James LoftonJames LoftonJames David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills...
- Art MonkArt MonkJames Arthur "Art" Monk is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
- Mel RenfroMel RenfroMelvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:...