Jeff Williams

Jeffrey "Jeff" Williams (born December 31, 1965) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the 200-meter dash. He was the bronze medalist at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and reached the 200 m final at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He set an American record in the 200 m indoors in 1996.

He was a late bloomer and attended his first world championship competition at the age of 29.

Professional career After graduating in 1987 with a degree in social sciences he was unusual for a track athlete in that he supported himself without help from a sponsorship deal. although he was disqualified with the US 4×100-meter relay team. He also ran on the European circuit that year and was selected for the 200 m at the 1991 IAAF Grand Prix Final, where he finished fifth. He made his first attempt to qualify at the United States Olympic Trials in 1992, but he was sixth in the 100 m semi-finals and finished last in the 200 m. His performance at the 1993 US Championships was poor, but he countered this with success in Europe, winning the 200 m at the British AAA Championships, and doubling up at the 1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final with a fourth in the 100 and fifth in the 200 m. His 1994 season was a quiet one, although he was sixth in the 200 m at the US Championships and he ran a personal best of 20.19 seconds in Stockholm (the fifth fastest time of the year). In the final he ran a personal record time of 20.18 seconds and was rewarded with the bronze medal, having finished behind Fredericks and Johnson. Williams had won his first world medal at a major championships at the age of 29. He closed the season with a fifth place at the IAAF Grand Prix Final.

Williams hit his athletic peak in 1996, beginning with an American indoor record of 20.40 seconds over 200 m in the early stages of the season, which was the third fastest indoor time that year. He finished as runner-up in the event behind Kevin Little at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. While competing at the Fresno Relays in California, Williams' 100 m race was spoiled when his shoe came off. Keen to check his competitive level, Williams opted to run an impromptu 200 m at the meet instead. When it came to the final Williams, ran a time of 20.17 seconds, which would have been enough to medal at the previous Olympics. However, the 1996 Olympic 200 meter race was one of the fastest ever as Michael Johnson knocked a third of a second off the world record, Frankie Fredericks ran the third fastest time ever, and Ato Boldon finished in 19.80 seconds. Williams had to settle for fifth (behind Obadele Thompson) in his final appearance on the global stage.

Although retired from the elite scene, Williams still competes in masters athletics competitions, running in the M40 class.

Personal bests Event Time (sec) Venue Date 50 metres 5.78 ? 1992 60 metres 6.67 ? 1995 100 metres 10.02 Atlanta, United States June 14, 1996 200 metres 19.87 Fresno, California, United States April 13, 1996 200 metres (indoor) 20.40 ? 1996 All information taken from IAAF/USATF profiles.

Competition record 1991 Pan American Games Havana, Cuba 3rd 100 m DQ 4×100-meter relay IAAF Grand Prix Final Barcelona, Spain 5th 200 m 1992 IAAF World Cup Havana, Cuba 3rd 200 m 1st 4×100-meter relay 1993 IAAF Grand Prix Final London, United Kingdom 4th 100 m 5th 200 m 1995 World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 3rd 200 m IAAF Grand Prix Final Monte Carlo, Monaco 5th 200 m 1996 Olympic Games Atlanta, Georgia 5th 200 m