World Championships 1983-1993 

 

The World Championships Helsinki 1983

 200 metre final (wind speed: +1.5):
1. Marita Koch GDR 22.13
2. Merlene Ottey JAM 22.19
3. Kathy Cook GBR 22.37
4. Florence Griffith USA 22.46
5. Grace Jackson JAM 22.63
6. Aneliya Nuneva BUL 22.68
7. Angela Bailey CAN 22.93
8. Ewa Kasprzyk POL 23.03

100 metre final (wind speed: -0.5):
1. Marlies Göhr GDR 10.97
2. Marita Koch GDR 11.02
3. Diane Williams USA 11.06
4. Merlene Ottey JAM 11.19
5. Angela Bailey CAN 11.20
6. Helinä Marjamaa FIN 11.24
7. Angella Taylor CAN 11.30
8. Evelyn Ashford USA DNF		 4 x 100 metre relay final:
1. German Democratic Republic  41.76
2. Great Britain & Northern Ireland  42.71
3. Jamaica  42.73
4. Bulgaria  42.93
5. Canada  43.05
6. Soviet Union  43.22
7. France  43.40
8. Czechoslovakia 43.78

 

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The World Championships Rome 1987

 200 metre final (wind speed: +1.2):
1. Silke Gladisch GDR 21.74
2. Florence Griffith USA 21.96
3. Merlene Ottey JAM 22.06
4. Pam Marshall USA 22.18
5. Gwen Torrence USA 22.40
6. Mary Onyali NGR 22.52
7. Ewa Kasprzyk POL 22.52
8. Nadezhda Georgieva BUL 22.55
100 metre final (wind speed: -0.5):
1. Silke Gladisch GDR 10.90
2. Heike Drechsler GDR 11.00
3. Merlene Ottey JAM 11.04
4. Diane Williams USA 11.07
5. Angella Issajenko CAN 11.09
6. Aneliya Nuneva BUL 11.09
7. Angela Bailey CAN 11.18
8. Pam Marshall USA 11.19		 4 x 100 metres relay final:
1. United States 41.58
2. German Democratic Republic  41.95
3. Soviet Union 42.33
4. Bulgaria  42.71
5. Federal Republic of Germany  43.20
6. Canada 43.26
7. Cuba 43.66
8. France 43.75

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The World Championships Tokyo 1991

Prior to the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo Merlene Ottey was unbeaten in 57 100 metre finals and 36 200 metre finals and she topped the world rankings for both distances for the second year in a row. Therefore she was off course the favorite to take both sprint titles in Tokyo, but after the two finals har nickname as "lady of bronze" really fitted her. The 100 metre and 200 metre gold was instead taken by Katrin Krabbe of the unified German team. In both finals the American Gwen Torrence came in between and took silver leaving Ottey with the possible greatest disappointment in her career: two bronze medals.

But relief came on the last day of the championships in the 4 x 100 metre relay. Ottey showed what great form she was in and ran a fantastic last leg for Jamaica - leaving the Russians and Germans trailing behind - finishing in Jamaican record of 41.94. FINALLY a gold medal for Merlene Ottey!

Katrin Krabbe was later that year (1991) found guilty in cheating with a drug test and she was expelled from track and field for two years, which in practice ended her career, while she still was only in the beginning of her twenties.

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Joy on the faces of the Jamaican girls after  the relay gold (Dahlia Duhaney, Juliet Cuthbert, Merlene Ottey and Beverly McDonald).

 

4 x 100 metres relay final:
1. Jamaica 41.94
2. Soviet Union 42.20
3. Germany 42.33
4. Nigeria  42.77
5. France  43.34
6. Cuba 43.75
7. Italy  43.76
8. Australia 43.79

100 metre final (wind speed: -3.0):
1. Katrin Krabbe GER 10.99
2. Gwen Torrence USA 11.03
3. Merlene Ottey JAM 11.06
4. Irina Privalova URS 11.16
5. Evelyn Ashford USA 11.30
6. Juliet Cuthbert JAM 11.33
7. Mary Onyali NGR 11.39
8. Carlette Guidry USA 11.52		 200 metre final (wind speed: -2.4):
1. Katrin Krabbe GER 22.09
2. Gwen Torrence USA 22.16
3. Merlene Ottey JAM 22.21
4. Irina Privalova URS 22.28
5. Galina Malchugina URS 22.66
6. Dannette Young USA 22.87
7. Pauline Davis BAH 22.90
8. Yelena Vinogradova URS 23.10

 

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The World Championships Stuttgart 1993

After the disappointment in the Tokyo 1991 world championships and the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, everyone thought that now was the time for Merlene Ottey to win the gold medal at the 100 metre distance - the medal that still was lacking from her enormous medal collection. And Merlene Ottey came as close as she ever was!!!

She ran 10.87 seconds in the semifinal together with Gwen Torrence, but in the final she was up against Olympic champion Gail Devers of the USA. Devers was ahead from the start of the final, but Ottey ran a fantastic last 10 metres and finished just alongside Devers. Devers ran 10.81 seconds and Ottey 10.82 seconds. Jamaica filed a protest against the result. Later that night - after scutinizing the photo - IAAF officials decided that both Devers and Ottey ran in 10.82 seconds, but Devers was the winner. At the medal ceremony Ottey were given the silver medal, but the crowd at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion gave her 1½ minute standing ovations.

100 metre final (wind speed -0.3):
1. Gail Devers 10.82 sec. (CR)
2. Merlene Ottey 10.82 sec. (CR)
3. Gwen Torrence 10.89 sec.
4. Irina Privalova 10.96 sec.
5. Mary Onyali 11.05 sec.
6. Natalia Voronova 11.20
7. Nicole Mitchell 11.20 sec.
8. Liliana Allen 11.23 sec.

After the defeat over 100 metres everyone thought that now was finally the time for Ottey to take an indidual gold medal. And she did it! Ottey opened the final very fast and had a great lead coming in to the home straight, but then her run started to slow off, her arms moved strangely in the air and Gwen Torrence came closer and closer. But Ottey held off the competitors and won. Afterwards she looked more reliefed than joyful. But later at the medal ceremony the fantastic crowd cheered for her for about 3 minutes.

200 metre final (wind speed 0.0):
1. Ottey 21.98 sec.
2. Torrence 22.00 sec.
3. Privalova 22.13 sec.
4. Perec 22.20 sec.
5. Onyali 22.32 sec.
6. Voronova 22.50 sec.
7. Malchugina 22.50 sec.
8. Young 23.04 sec.

4 x 100 metre relay final:
1. Russia 41.49 sec.
2. USA 41.49 sec.
3. Jamaica 41.94 sec.
 4. France 42.67 sec.
5. Germany 42.79 sec.
6. Cuba 42.89 sec.
7. Finland 43.37 sec.
8. Great Britain & Northern Ireland 43.86 sec.

 

Ottey and Devers waiting for the 100 metre result in anxiety

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