Leroy Burrell

Leroy Burrell
Burrell in 2019
Personal information
Full nameLeroy Russel Burrell
NationalityAmerican
Born (1967-02-21) February 21, 1967 (age 56)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight180 lb (82 kg)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Sprints and long jump
College teamHouston Cougars (1985-1990)
ClubSanta Monica Track Club
Coached byTom Tellez
Retired1998
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • 60 m: 6.48 s (1991)
  • 100 m: 9.85 s (1994)
  • 200 m: 20.12 s (1992)
  • Long jump: 8.37 m (1989)

Leroy Russel Burrell (born February 21, 1967) is an American former track and field athlete, who twice set the world record for the 100 m sprint.

Early life

Burrell grew up in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, and attended Penn Wood High School, where he single-handedly won the state championship by winning the 100 m, 200 m, long jump, and triple jump. Suffering from poor eyesight accentuated by a childhood eye injury, he was poor at other sports, but excelled on the track from an early age. He attended the University of Houston from 1986 to 1990, where he was a nine-time NCAA All-American and set the NCAA outdoor record in the long jump.

Professional career

Burrell was plagued by injuries and bad luck throughout his career, particularly around major championships. He won gold in the 100 m ahead of Carl Lewis at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle. He won the silver in the 100 m behind Lewis at the 1991 World Championships. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Burrell false-started in the 100 m final. When the race finally restarted, his reaction off the line was slow, and he finished fifth. He did manage to win a relay gold as part of the U.S. 4 × 100 m team.[citation needed]

On May 19, 1990, Burrell ran a wind-assisted 200 m at College Station, Texas, in a time of 19.61 seconds. The wind speed was +4.0 m per second. This was the fastest time for the 200 m for over six years until the 1996 Olympic final in Atlanta, where Michael Johnson ran 19.32 seconds.

He first set the 100m world record in June 1991 with a time of 9.90 seconds. This was broken that September by Carl Lewis who ran 9.86 sec at the 1991 World Track and Field Championships where Burrell finished second in a new personal best time of 9.88 sec. In July 1994, Burrell set the world record for the second time when he ran 9.85 sec (a record that stood until the 1996 Olympics when Donovan Bailey ran 9.84 sec).[citation needed]

Since his retirement in 1998, Burrell has replaced his old college mentor, Tom Tellez, as coach of the University of Houston's track and field team. Burrell has led UH to 14 men's Conference USA titles (nine indoor, five outdoor) and nine women's titles (four indoor, five outdoor). He was inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 2014.

In June 2022, Burrell stepped down as head coach at Houston and accepted the head coaching position for Auburn track and field.

Personal life

Burrell married Michelle Finn, also a sprinter, in 1994, and they have three sons together: Cameron who was a sprinter for the Houston Cougars and died in 2021, Joshua, and Jaden. On June 7, 2017, Cameron joined his father in the sub-10 second club. Burrell's younger sister Dawn also competed in track and field at the highest level, as a member of the 2000 US Olympic team and world indoor champion in the long jump.

Statistics

Information from IAAF profile unless otherwise noted.

World records

Includes former all-conditions world best in the 200 meters. All world records are former as of May 24, 2014.

Event Time (s) Competition Venue Date Notes
60 m 6.48 Madrid indoor meet Madrid, Spain February 13, 1991
100 m 9.90 U.S. Championships New York, New York, U.S. June 14, 1991 +1.8 m/s wind
9.85 Athletissima Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland July 6, 1994 +1.2 m/s wind
200 m 19.61 SWC Championships College Station, Texas, U.S. May 19, 1990 +4.1 m/s wind, w
4 × 100 m relay 37.79 Herculis Monaco Monaco August 3, 1991
37.67 Weltklasse Zürich Zürich, Switzerland August 7, 1991
37.50 World Championships Tokyo, Japan September 1, 1991 Former CR
37.40 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain August 8, 1992 Former OR
37.40 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany August 21, 1993 Former CR
4 × 200 m relay 1:19.38 Koblenz meet Koblenz, Germany August 23, 1989
1:19.11 Penn Relays Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. April 23, 1992
1:18.68 Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, California, U.S. April 17, 1994

Personal bests

Sprints

Event Time (s) Wind (m/s) Competition Venue Date Notes
55 m 6.09 n/a Houston indoor meet Houston, Texas, U.S. January 28, 1991
60 m 6.48 n/a Madrid indoor meet Madrid, Spain February 13, 1991 Former WR
100 m 9.85 +1.2 Athletissima Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland July 6, 1994 Former WR
200 m 20.12 −0.8 U.S. Olympic Trials New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. June 27, 1992
19.61 +4.1 SWC Championships College Station, Texas, U.S. May 19, 1990 w
4 × 100 m relay 37.40 n/a Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain August 8, 1992 Former WR, OR
World Championships Stuttgart, Germany August 21, 1993 Former WR, CR
4 × 200 m relay 1:18.68 n/a Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, California, U.S. April 17, 1994 Former WR

Jumps

Event Mark (m) Wind (m/s) Competition Venue Date Notes
Long jump 8.37 +0.4 NCAA Division I Championships Provo, Utah, U.S. June 2, 1989
Long jump indoor 8.23 n/a NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. March 9, 1990

International championship results

Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Wind (m/s) Notes
Representing the  United States
1989 World Cup Barcelona, Spain 2nd 100 m 10.15 +0.5
1990 Goodwill Games Seattle, Washington, U.S. 1st 100 m 10.05 +1.1
1991 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 2nd 100 m 9.88 +1.2 PB
6th (qf 4) 200 m 21.21 −0.7
1st 4 × 100 m relay 37.50 n/a WR, CR
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain 5th 100 m 10.10 +0.5
1st 4 × 100 m relay 37.40 n/a WR, OR
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany 1st 4 × 100 m relay 37.40 n/a WR, CR
1994 Goodwill Games St. Petersburg, Russia 2nd 100 m 10.11 −1.9

National championship results

Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Wind (m/s) Notes
Representing the Houston Cougars and Santa Monica Track Club
1988 NCAA Division I Championships Eugene, Oregon, U.S. 7th Long jump n/a +4.1 8.06 m, w
5th 100 m 10.31 +0.4
U.S. Olympic Trials Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. 6th (semi 2) 100 m 10.10 +4.9 w
1989 U.S. Indoor Championships New York, New York, U.S. 1st 55 m 6.15 n/a
NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. 1st Long jump n/a n/a 8.09 m
2nd 55 m 6.11 n/a
NCAA Division I Championships Provo, Utah, U.S. 2nd Long jump n/a +0.4 8.37 m, PB
5th 100 m 10.19 +2.4 w
U.S. Championships Houston, Texas, U.S. 1st 100 m 9.94 +0.8 WL, PB
1990 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. 1st Long jump n/a n/a 8.23 m
NCAA Division I Championships Durham, North Carolina, U.S. 1st 100 m 9.94 +2.4 w
U.S. Championships Norwalk, California, U.S. 4th Long jump n/a +4.1 8.06 m, w
1991 U.S. Championships New York, New York, U.S. 1st 100 m 9.90 +1.9 WR
2nd 200 m 20.42 −2.0
1992 U.S. Indoor Championships New York, New York, U.S. 1st 60 m 6.55 n/a
U.S. Olympic Trials New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. 3rd 100 m 10.10 −0.7
5th 200 m 20.16 +1.0
1993 U.S. Championships Eugene, Oregon, U.S. 5th 100 m 10.15 +4.8 w
4th 200 m 20.35 +2.5 w
1995 U.S. Championships Sacramento, California, U.S. 5th 100 m 10.31 −1.2
1996 U.S. Indoor Championships Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. 4th 60 m 6.60 n/a
U.S. Olympic Trials Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. 6th 100 m 10.07 +1.1
1997 U.S. Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. 6th 100 m 10.09 +0.2

Circuit wins

Overall

100 meters


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