Torri Edwards
Encyclopedia
Torri Edwards is an American
sprinter
. She was a rising young star in 100
and 200 metres
, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000
. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold. Edwards qualified to the 2008 Olympic Games at 100m meters and 4x100m relay.
, with her best state meet finish ever coming her senior year when she was fourth in the 200m. Edwards would then attend the University of Southern California
.
That track season, she won the Pac-10 titles in both the 100m and 200m for USC.
She states:
. She was banned for two years effective from July 18, 2004, missing the 2004 Summer Olympics
. In August 2004, Edwards appealed the ban, and an arbitration panel acknowledged that Edwards "conducted herself with honesty, integrity and character ... she has not sought to gain any improper advantage or to 'cheat' in any way." http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2006-12/26797863.pdf In November 2005, her two-year ban was shortened when the World Anti-Doping Agency downgraded nikethamide infractions to maximum one-year suspensions. The drug had come from pills she had taken at a meet in Martinique to combat a minor illness. Though arbitrators decided Edwards had taken the drug inadvertently, saying in their ruling that she had conducted herself with "honesty, integrity and character," they did not overturn the suspension, because the glucose tablets given to her by her doctor contained a warning for athletes advising that the pills could cause a positive doping test. Therefore, Edwards did not take performance enhancement drugs to improve her performance. However, since Edwards was a teammate of Marion Jones
in the 2000 Olympic 4×100 meters relay, she was stripped of her medal following Jones's admission to using steroids during the games, though she and 6 other members of the 2000 team would successfully appeal this decision in July 2010.
Edwards eventually finished 8th place with a time of 11.20, an under-par performance for the American sprinter, who has a best time of 10.78. Edwards states:
However, Edwards actually had a reaction time of 0.179 seconds, which was not the fastest or the slowest of the eight runners. It is possible, therefore, that Edwards had not applied enough pressure on the blocks to trigger a false start warning, however she twitched her upper body, but possibly left her feet solid."
Another disappointment came in the 4x100m relay when the American team dropped the baton in the semi-final due to a misunderstanding between Edwards, on the top bend, and Lauryn Williams
on the anchor leg. Williams picked up the baton to finish the race in last place, but the USA was disqualified because she had had to run out of her lane in order to retrieve the baton.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. She was a rising young star in 100
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
and 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000
Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:...
. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold. Edwards qualified to the 2008 Olympic Games at 100m meters and 4x100m relay.
Early career
Edwards states that she began sprinting when she joined her school team in junior high . Edwards was an average sprinter when she attended Pomona High SchoolPomona High School (Pomona, California)
Pomona High School is a high school operated by the Pomona Unified School District in California, located in North Pomona at 475 Bangor St. In 2002 and 2003, the Pomona High School football team won the Valle Vista League championship...
, with her best state meet finish ever coming her senior year when she was fourth in the 200m. Edwards would then attend 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...
.
That track season, she won the Pac-10 titles in both the 100m and 200m for USC.
She states:
"Not until I got to college did I realize that I could be good," Edwards said. "Winning the Pac-10 titles gave me a big boost in confidence, and I found myself setting higher and higher goals."
Doping Accusations
It later turned out that she had used the banned substance nikethamideNikethamide
Nikethamide is a stimulant which mainly affects the respiratory cycle. Widely known by its former trade name of Coramine, it was used in the mid-1900s as a medical countermeasure against tranquilizer overdoses, before the advent of endotracheal intubation and positive-pressure lung expansion...
. She was banned for two years effective from July 18, 2004, missing the 2004 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, the athletics events were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 18 to August 29, except for the marathons , the race walks , and the shot put...
. In August 2004, Edwards appealed the ban, and an arbitration panel acknowledged that Edwards "conducted herself with honesty, integrity and character ... she has not sought to gain any improper advantage or to 'cheat' in any way." http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2006-12/26797863.pdf In November 2005, her two-year ban was shortened when the World Anti-Doping Agency downgraded nikethamide infractions to maximum one-year suspensions. The drug had come from pills she had taken at a meet in Martinique to combat a minor illness. Though arbitrators decided Edwards had taken the drug inadvertently, saying in their ruling that she had conducted herself with "honesty, integrity and character," they did not overturn the suspension, because the glucose tablets given to her by her doctor contained a warning for athletes advising that the pills could cause a positive doping test. Therefore, Edwards did not take performance enhancement drugs to improve her performance. However, since Edwards was a teammate of Marion Jones
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
in the 2000 Olympic 4×100 meters relay, she was stripped of her medal following Jones's admission to using steroids during the games, though she and 6 other members of the 2000 team would successfully appeal this decision in July 2010.
2008 Olympics
At the 2008 Olympic finals for the women's 100 meters, Edwards stated that she thought she had false started and apparently hesitated, believing that the officials were going to call a false start.Edwards eventually finished 8th place with a time of 11.20, an under-par performance for the American sprinter, who has a best time of 10.78. Edwards states:
“I thought I moved before the gun,” Edwards said. “I kind of hesitated because I expected to hear a second gun. It threw me off a lot. It’s pretty tough.”
However, Edwards actually had a reaction time of 0.179 seconds, which was not the fastest or the slowest of the eight runners. It is possible, therefore, that Edwards had not applied enough pressure on the blocks to trigger a false start warning, however she twitched her upper body, but possibly left her feet solid."
Another disappointment came in the 4x100m relay when the American team dropped the baton in the semi-final due to a misunderstanding between Edwards, on the top bend, and Lauryn Williams
Lauryn Williams
Lauryn Williams is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States...
on the anchor leg. Williams picked up the baton to finish the race in last place, but the USA was disqualified because she had had to run out of her lane in order to retrieve the baton.
Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Summer Olympics Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:... |
Sydney, Australia | 3rd | 4x100m relay (which has been taken away because of Jones Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA... ) |
| 2003 | World Indoor Championships 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, UK from 14 March to 16 March 2003. It was the first time the Championships had been held in the UK... |
Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
3rd | 60m |
| World Championships 2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:... |
Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , 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... |
1st | 100 metres, 10.93 PB | |
| World Championships | Paris, France | 2nd | 200 metres | |
| World Championships | Paris, France | 2nd | 4x100m relay | |
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo Monte Carlo Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco.... , Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the... |
3rd | 100 metres | |
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 3rd | 200 metres |
See also
- Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metersAthletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metres-Results:All times shown are in seconds. The following abbreviations are used:* Q denotes qualification by place* q denotes qualification by time* PB denotes personal best* SB denotes season best* NR denotes national record...
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences