Quincy Watts
Encyclopedia
Quincy D. Watts (born June 19, 1970) is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics
.
Born in Detroit, Michigan
, Quincy Watts attended the University of Southern California
where he excelled not only as an athlete but also as a wide receiver on the college football
team. He took up track at Sutter Middle School and later went to Taft High School. In 1987, he ran a 10.36s 100 m which stands as the Los Angeles city section record. That same year he repeated as the 200 meters Champion at the CIF California State Championships
in Sacramento
.
At first, Watts was a short sprinter
, specializing for 100 m and 200 m, but the USC coach Jim Bush
, convinced him to run 400 m, where he found his success.
In 1992, by far his most successful year, he won the Olympic 400 m title. He twice broke Lee Evans'
Olympic record
of 43.86, (set at altitude during the 1968 games in Mexico
), clocking 43.71 in his semi-final, before going on to record 43.50 in the final. He was a member of the 4 x 400 m relay
team, running the second leg in 43.10, which smashed the world record
in a time of 2:55.74.
At the World Championships
in 1991, Watts won a silver medal in 4x400 relay, which he turned to gold in the next championships in 1993 running the second leg on the team that took almost a second and a half off the World Record
he was a part of the year before. That race still stands as the World Record. In the 1993 Individual 400m Final, where Watts was expected to challenge his relay teammates Michael Johnson
and Butch Reynolds
, his custom built Nike
shoe disintegrated as he was coming off the final turn. Continuing to run, he still managed fourth place. See the youtube video Since this incident, poor Nike shoe quality has been referred to as "doing the Quincy Watts" in track circles. It has also affected Nike's concern for quality control
In 1994 and 1995 he failed to break 45 second
s and in 1996 finished a disappointing seventh in the US Olympic trials in a time of 45.64. Overshadowed by Michael Johnson
, he retired in 1997 and was hired as the head coach to Taft High School. He now works as an assistant track coach at Harvard-Westlake High School and trains a number of professional athletes such as Willie McGinest
and Curtis Conway
, who was a High School competitor of Watts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCdqmQaghLE.
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
.
Born in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Quincy Watts attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
where he excelled not only as an athlete but also as a wide receiver on the college football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team. He took up track at Sutter Middle School and later went to Taft High School. In 1987, he ran a 10.36s 100 m which stands as the Los Angeles city section record. That same year he repeated as the 200 meters Champion at the CIF California State Championships
CIF California State Meet
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet...
in 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...
.
At first, Watts was a short sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
, specializing for 100 m and 200 m, but the USC coach Jim Bush
Jim Bush
Jim Bush is a National Track and Field Hall of Fame track and field coach. He is known primarily for his coaching tenure at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1965 to 1984...
, convinced him to run 400 m, where he found his success.
In 1992, by far his most successful year, he won the Olympic 400 m title. He twice broke Lee Evans'
Lee Evans (athlete)
Lee Edward Evans is a former American athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics....
Olympic record
Olympic record
Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games...
of 43.86, (set at altitude during the 1968 games in Mexico
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
), clocking 43.71 in his semi-final, before going on to record 43.50 in the final. He was a member of the 4 x 400 m relay
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
team, running the second leg in 43.10, which smashed the world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
in a time of 2:55.74.
At the World Championships
IAAF World Championships in Athletics
The World Championships in Athletics is an event organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations . Originally, it was organised every four years, but this changed in 1991, and it has since been organised biennially.-History:...
in 1991, Watts won a silver medal in 4x400 relay, which he turned to gold in the next championships in 1993 running the second leg on the team that took almost a second and a half off the World Record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
he was a part of the year before. That race still stands as the World Record. In the 1993 Individual 400m Final, where Watts was expected to challenge his relay teammates Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (athlete)
Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...
and Butch Reynolds
Butch Reynolds
Harry "Butch" Reynolds is an American former track and field athlete who competed in the 400 meter dash. He held the world record for the event for eleven years with his personal best time of 43.29 seconds set in 1988. That year he was the silver medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and a...
, his custom built Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
shoe disintegrated as he was coming off the final turn. Continuing to run, he still managed fourth place. See the youtube video Since this incident, poor Nike shoe quality has been referred to as "doing the Quincy Watts" in track circles. It has also affected Nike's concern for quality control
In 1994 and 1995 he failed to break 45 second
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
s and in 1996 finished a disappointing seventh in the US Olympic trials in a time of 45.64. Overshadowed by Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (athlete)
Michael Duane Johnson is a retired American sprinter. He won four Olympic gold medals and eight world championship gold medals. Johnson currently holds the world and Olympic records in the 400 m and 4 x 400 meters relay. He formerly held the world and Olympic record in the 200 m, and the world...
, he retired in 1997 and was hired as the head coach to Taft High School. He now works as an assistant track coach at Harvard-Westlake High School and trains a number of professional athletes such as Willie McGinest
Willie McGinest
William Lee "Willie" McGinest, Jr. is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Early life and career:...
and Curtis Conway
Curtis Conway
Curtis Lamont Conway is a former National Football League wide receiver and was a first round 1993 NFL Draft choice out of the University of Southern California...
, who was a High School competitor of Watts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCdqmQaghLE.
External links
- "He just keeps running away" –in depth article from The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
- Youtube video of Quincy Watts winning 1987 CIF State Championships
- Youtube video of Quincy Watts winning 1986 CIF State Championships
- California State Records before 2000