Michelle Freeman
Encyclopedia
Michelle Freeman is a former Jamaica
n track & field athlete who was an Olympic
bronze medal
ist.
Freeman was born in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
. She received an athletic scholarship
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where she was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1989 to 1992. She was seven-time Southeastern Conference
(SEC) champion and a member of the Gators' NCAA championship 4x400-meter relay team. Freeman received eight All-American honors, and still retains the Gators' team records in the 55-meter hurdles, 55-meter dash, 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles. She was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2011.
Freeman received the gold medal for winning the 100-meter hurdles at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
in Victoria, Australia. She competed for Jamaica at the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, Georgia
where she won the bronze medal with her teammates Juliet Cuthbert
, Nikole Mitchell and Merlene Ottey
in the women's 4x100-meter relay event. She was also a member of the Jamaican Olympic team in 1992 and 2000.
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...
n track & field athlete who was an Olympic
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...
bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
ist.
Freeman was born in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica
St Catherine is a parish located in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parish because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Jamaica, Spanish Town, originally known as San Jago de la...
. She received an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where she was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) competition from 1989 to 1992. She was seven-time Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) champion and a member of the Gators' NCAA championship 4x400-meter relay team. Freeman received eight All-American honors, and still retains the Gators' team records in the 55-meter hurdles, 55-meter dash, 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles. She was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2011.
Freeman received the gold medal for winning the 100-meter hurdles at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
1994 Commonwealth Games
The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 18 August to 28 August 1994.The XV Commonwealth Games marked South Africa's return to the Commonwealth Games following the apartheid era, and over 30 years since the country last competed in the...
in Victoria, Australia. She competed for Jamaica at the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
where she won the bronze medal with her teammates Juliet Cuthbert
Juliet Cuthbert
Juliet Cuthbert is a Jamaican athlete who competed mainly in the sprints ....
, Nikole Mitchell and Merlene Ottey
Merlene Ottey
Merlene Joyce Ottey , is a Jamaican-born Slovenian track athlete. Ottey began her career representing Jamaica, but since 2002, has represented Slovenia, where she now resides...
in the women's 4x100-meter relay event. She was also a member of the Jamaican Olympic team in 1992 and 2000.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians