Frankie Fredericks

Last updated

Frank Fredericks
Osaka07 Opening Flag Stars (cropped).jpg
Fredericks in 2007
Personal information
NationalityNamibian
Born (1967-10-02) 2 October 1967 (age 56)
Windhoek, South West Africa
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight73 kg (161 lb; 11.5 st)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s) 100 metres, 200 metres

Frank "Frankie" Fredericks (born 2 October 1967) is a former track and field athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games (two in 1992 and two in 1996), making him Namibia's only able-bodied Olympic medalist until Christine Mboma's silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He also won gold medals at the World Championships, World Indoor Championships, All-Africa Games and Commonwealth Games. He is the world indoor record-holder for 200 metres, with a time of 19.92 seconds set in 1996.

Contents

Fredericks has broken 20 seconds for the 200 metres 24 times. He also holds the joint-third-fastest non-winning time for the 200 metres. In August 1996, Fredericks ran 19.68 seconds in the Olympic final in Atlanta, Georgia.

He is also the oldest man to have broken 20 seconds for the 200 metres. On 12 July 2002 in Rome, Fredericks won the 200 metres in a time of 19.99 seconds at the age of 34 years 283 days. He is currently serving as a council member in the IAAF.

On 3 March 2017, Fredericks was implicated in the IAAF corruption scandal, stemming from a large cash payment he received in 2009. The investigation is still to be concluded.

Education and early life

Fredericks was born in Windhoek, the only child of Riekie Fredericks, a seamstress, and Andries Kangootui, a farmer. He grew up in the city's Katutura township, his parents splitting up while he was little. In 1981 he switched to the Catholic school at Döbra to play competitive soccer. When he received a scholarship to complete his matric at Concordia College Fredericks took up athletics because the soccer was not strong at Concordia. He still played for Black Africa, one of the country's top teams. [1]

After school, he took up work at Rössing Uranium Ltd. in Swakopmund and soon got a partial scholarship at Brigham Young University in the US in 1987. [2] There he studied computer science and graduated with an MBA. [3]

During his college career, Fredericks earned numerous All-American citations and won three NCAA championships. [4]

Athletics career

In 1990, after his country had become independent of South Africa, Fredericks could participate in international competition. At the World Championships in 1991, Fredericks won a silver medal in the 200 m, finishing behind Michael Johnson, and placed 5th in the 100 m. He then went on to The following year, at the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics, Fredericks became Namibia's first Olympic medalist when he finished second in both the 100 m and 200 m. He won the silver medal in the men's 100-metre dash, with a time of 10.02 seconds, just .06 seconds behind the gold medal winner. In 1993, in Stuttgart, he became the nation's first World Champion, winning the 200 m. At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, he won gold in the 200 m and bronze in the 100 m. His time of 19.97 seconds in the 200 metres is the current Commonwealth Games record. At the 1995 World Championships 100 m, after crossing the line he immediately went to help his friend Linford Christie who pulled a muscle in the race and signalled for help. This act of kindness endeared him to many (particularly British) athletics fans.

For the 1996 Summer Olympics, Fredericks was among the title favourites for both the 100 m and 200 m. He reached both finals and again finished second in both. In the 100 m, he was beaten by Donovan Bailey, who set a new World Record, and in the 200 m, he was beaten by Michael Johnson, who also set a new World Record. At the time, Fredericks's second-place run was the third-fastest in history, beaten only by Johnson (twice). At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Frankie once again missed out on the chance of gold in the 100 m; he was beaten by Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago.

Suffering from injuries, Fredericks had to withdraw from the 1999 and 2001 World Championships, and the 2000 Summer Olympics. When he arrived in Abuja to represent Namibia at the 2003 All-Africa Games, he was lauded by Nigerian supporters and came away with a silver medal. [5] [6] He then went on to win the 200 m at the inaugural Afro-Asian Games in 2003. In the 200 m final at the 2004 Summer Olympics, he finished 4th.

After the end of the 2004 outdoor season, Fredericks retired from competition. He had run the 100 m under 10 seconds 27 times and remained the tenth-best in history until recently. [7]

As of August 2024, he holds six track records for 200 metres including Dakar (19.99, 1998), Duisburg, Germany (19.96, 1996), Fukuoka (19.81, 1997), Johannesburg (19.93, 1995), Melbourne (19.92, 1999) and Victoria (19.97, 1994).


Outdoor records

DistanceTime (seconds)WindLocationDate
100 metres 9.86– 0.4 m/s Lausanne 3 July 1996
200 metres 19.68+ 0.4 m/s Atlanta 1 August 1996
400 metres 46.28 Tempe 25 March 1989

Indoor records

EventBestLocationDate
50 metres 5.77 s Liévin 24 February 2002
60 metres 6.51 s Toronto 12 March 1993
100 metres 10.05 s Tampere 12 February 1996
200 metres Sport records icon WR.svg 19.92 s Liévin 18 February 1996
300 metres 32.36 s Karlsruhe 28 February 2003
Long jump 7.57 m Colorado Springs 22 February 1991



Track records

Fredericks holds the following track records for 100 metres and 200 metres.

100 metres

LocationTimeWindspeed
m/s
DateNotes
Cape Town 10.08+ 1.620/03/1998
Cottbus 10.00+ 2.715/06/1994
Helsinki 9.87+ 1.925/06/1996
Nice, France 10.00+ 0.716/07/1998
Radès, Tunisia 9.93+ 3.807/08/2002
Rehlingen, Germany 10.07+ 1.405/06/1995Track record shared with
Usheoritse Itsekiri (NGR) from 09/06/2019.
Villeneuve d'Ascq, France 9.91+ 5.106/07/1992
Windhoek, Namibia 9.94– 0.213/04/2002


200 metres

LocationTimeWindspeed
m/s
Date
Albuquerque 20.09+ 3.220/05/1989
Dakar 19.99– 0.922/08/1998
Duisburg, Germany 19.96+ 2.012/06/1996
Fukuoka 19.81+ 0.313/09/1997
Johannesburg 19.930.024/09/1995
Melbourne 19.92+ 1.625/02/1999
Radès, Tunisia 20.10+ 2.410/08/2002
Victoria, British Columbia 19.97+ 1.526/08/1994
Villeneuve d'Ascq, France 19.99+ 2.706/07/1992

IOC career

In 2004 Fredericks became a member of the International Olympic Committee. In 2009 Fredericks became the head of the Athletics Namibia in a controversial leadership contest. [8] In 2012 Fredericks was nominated to be a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Frank Fredericks is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organisation.

Bribery investigation

On 3 March 2017, French newspaper Le Monde reported [9] that Fredericks had received US$299,300 from Pamodzi Sports Consulting, a company owned by Papa Massata Diack (the son of disgraced former IAAF head Lamine Diack, who is currently facing corruption charges in France). The payment went to Yemi Limited, a company set up by Fredericks in Seychelles, a tax haven, and was made on 2 Oct. 2009, the same day as Rio was announced as the winning bid for the 2016 Olympics. Fredericks has denied that the payment has anything to do with the Olympic bid, but instead says it was fees paid for consulting services he provided for "relay championships" and marketing programs related to African championships and other IAAF programs.

When the allegation was made Fredericks was the chair of the 2024 Olympic bid evaluation committee. [10] On 6 March 2017, Fredericks stepped down from his position in the IAAF task force that is evaluating if or when to re-admit Russia's national sports body RusAF after a widespread doping scandal. [11] On 7 March 2017, the Ethics Commission of the IOC recommended a provisional suspension of Fredericks from his IOC-related duties. [12] Before the IOC Executive meeting Fredericks while maintaining his innocence withdrew from his position as the Chair of the 2024 Olympic bidding process "in the best interests" of the process. [13] Fredericks was replaced as the chair of the 2024 Olympic bidding process by former FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann.

Business career

After his athletic career, Fredericks worked as a business manager. He also founded the Frank Fredericks Foundation in 1999, a non-profit organisation supporting talented athletes. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linford Christie</span> Jamaican-born British sprinter (born 1960)

Linford Christie is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter and athletics coach. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games. He was the first European athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 m and held the British record in the event for close to 30 years. He is a former world indoor record holder over 200 metres, and a former European record holder in the 60 metres, 100 m and 4 × 100 metres relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ato Boldon</span> Trinidadian Olympic sprinter and politician

Ato Jabari Boldon is a Trinidadian former track and field athlete, politician, and four-time Olympic medal winner. He holds the Trinidad and Tobago national record in the 50, 60 and 200 metres events with times of 5.64, 6.49 and 19.77 seconds respectively, and also the Commonwealth Games record in the 100 m. He also held the 100m national record at 9.86s, having run it four times until Richard Thompson ran 9.85s on 13 August 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namibia at the 2004 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Namibia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's fourth consecutive appearance at the Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olusoji Fasuba</span> Nigerian sprinter

Olusoji Adetokunbo Fasuba is a Nigerian sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres. He was the African record holder in the event with 9.85 seconds until Akani Simbine broke it in July 2021 with 9.84 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyson Gay</span> American sprinter (born 1982)

Tyson Gay is a retired American track and field sprinter who competed in the 100 and 200 meters. His 100 m personal best of 9.69 seconds is the American record and makes him tied for the second fastest athlete over 100 m ever, along with Yohan Blake of Jamaica.

Jean Éric Milazar is a Mauritian athlete competing in the 200 metres and 400 metres. He was born in Rodrigues and currently resides in Coromandel, Mauritius. He is married to Natacha Ramen-Milazar since 2006 an ex volleyball player and together they have two kids Ericson and Erica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usain Bolt</span> Jamaican sprinter (born 1986)

Usain St. Leo Bolt is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churandy Martina</span> Dutch sprinter (born 1984)

Churandy Thomas Martina is a Dutch sprinter. He originally placed second in the 200 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but was later disqualified due to a lane violation. Martina secured four and two individual top-five finishes at the Summer Olympics and World Athletics Championships respectively. He was the 100 metres 2007 Pan American Games champion representing the Netherlands Antilles and claimed three individual titles at the Central American and Caribbean Games. He won gold medals in the 200 m and 100 m at the 2012 and 2016 European Athletics Championships respectively.

Francis Horace Tipes Dove-Edwin is a retired Sierra Leonean sprinter who specialized in the 100 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oludamola Osayomi</span> Nigerian sprinter

Oludamola Bolanle ("Damola") Osayomi is a Nigerian sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She is a four-time gold medallist at the African Championships in Athletics and won an Olympic silver medal with Nigeria in the 4×100 metres relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also won the 100 and 200 m sprints at the 2007 All-Africa Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blessing Okagbare</span> Nigerian track and field athlete

Blessing Oghnewresem Okagbare-Otegheri is a former Nigerian track and field athlete who specialized in long jump and sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championships medallist in the long jump and a world medalist in the 200 metres. Okagbare also holds the women's 100 metres Commonwealth Games record at 10.85 seconds. She is currently serving a 10-year ban for breaching multiple World Athletics anti-doping rules. Her ban expires on 30 July 2032.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres</span> Olympic athletics event

The men's 200 metres was an event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There were 79 participating athletes from 65 nations, with eleven qualifying heats. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by 0.12 seconds by Michael Marsh of the United States, the nation's third consecutive and 15th overall victory in the event. The Americans would take a second medal for the third consecutive Games as well, this time with Michael Bates earning bronze. The silver medal went to Frankie Fredericks, taking Namibia's first medal in the men's 200 metres.

Jeffrey "Jeff" Williams 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namibia at the 2012 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Namibia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom from July 27 to August 12, 2012. This was the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornel Fredericks</span> South African hurdler

Cornel Edwin Fredericks is a South African track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. His personal best for the event is 48.14 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jereem Richards</span> Trinidad and Tobago sprinter

Jereem Richards is a Trinidadian track and field sprinter who specializes in the 200 metres and 400 metres events. He won the bronze medal in the 200 m at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics and gold for the 400 m at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. Richards took 200m titles at both the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games. He was part of the Trinidad and Tobago team that won the bronze medal in the men's 4 × 400 m relay at the 2012 World Indoor Championships and a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zharnel Hughes</span> British sprinter (born 1995)

Zharnel Hughes is an Anguilla-born British sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres. Born and raised in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla, he has competed internationally for Great Britain in the Olympic Games, World Athletics and European Athletics events, and for England at the Commonwealth Games, since 2015. A double Commonwealth Games, double European Championships gold medalist as part of the 4 x 100 metres relay, Hughes has twice been European champion individually; over 100 metres in 2018, and 200 metres in 2022. In 2023, he broke both British sprint records, before winning his first global individual medal, a bronze in the 100 metres at the 2023 World championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayde van Niekerk</span> South African sprinter

Wayde van Niekerk is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. In the 400 metres, he is the current world and Olympic record holder, having set the record when he won the event at the 2016 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fausto Desalu</span> Italian sprinter

Eseosa Fostine "Fausto" Desalu is an Italian sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres winning a silver medal in that event at the 2018 Mediterranean Games and a gold medal in the 4×100 m relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beatrice Masilingi</span> Namibian sprinter

Beatrice Masilingi is a Namibian sprinter. At the age of 18, she placed sixth in the 200 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, having made the final along with fellow Namibian sprinter and eventual silver medallist Christine Mboma. Masilingi won silver medals in both the 100 metres and 200 m at the 2021 World Under-20 Championships.

References

  1. Mackay, Duncan (21 July 2002). "A gentleman and a scholar". The Observer .
  2. 1 2 Angula, Conrad (6 November 2020). "Where are they now? Ex-sprinter Fredericks elevates from Olympiad to business executive". The Namibian . pp. 30, 32.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "About Us - Frank Fredericks Foundation". Frank Fredericks Foundation. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  4. "BYU Cougars: Frank Fredericks Athlete Profile". Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  5. "Two more Games records in Abuja – African Games – Day THREE". worldathletics.org. 14 October 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. Krastev, Todor (23 February 2011). "Athletics All Africa Games Abuja (NGR) 2003". Todor66. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. Tonchi, Victor L., William A. Lindeke, and John J. Grotpeter, "Fredericks, Frankie (1967- )" Historical Dictionary of Namibia. 2nd edition. Toronto: The Scarecrow Press, Inc, p. 129.
  8. Tonchi, Victor L., William A. Lindeke, and John J. Grotpeter, "Frederics, Frankie (1967- )" Historical Dictionary of Namibia. 2nd edition. Toronto: The Scarecrow Press, Inc, p. 129.
  9. Bouchez, Yann (3 March 2017). "Le jour où Rio obtenait les JO, Frank Fredericks empochait 299 300 dollars". Le Monde (in French). ISSN   1950-6244 . Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  10. "Evaluation Commission". International Olympic Committee. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  11. "Fredericks resigns from IAAF task force". The Japan Times. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. DECISION OF RECOMMENDATION TO THE IOC EXECUTIVE BOARD Decision N° 2017/1 vom 7. März 2017
  13. Graham Dunbar (7 March 2017). "Fredericks leaves 2024 Olympic bid role, waives vote". The Tribune . Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
Records
Preceded by Men's 200m African Record Holder
3 August 1992 – 23 July 2023
Succeeded by
Preceded by Men's 200m Indoor World Record Holder
18 February 1996 – present
Incumbent
Achievements
Preceded by Men's 200 m Best Year Performance
1993
Succeeded by
Olympic Games
Preceded by
None
Flagbearer for Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Barcelona 1992
Succeeded by