Gerald Phiri

Last updated

Gerald Phiri
OLY
Personal information
Born (1988-10-06) 6 October 1988 (age 35)
Zambia
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
CountryFlag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
SportAthletics
Event 100 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best100m 10.03 (2014) 200m 20.29 (2008)
Updated on 03 July 2014

Gerald Phiri OLY (born 6 October 1988) is a Zambian sprinter who participates in 60 metre, 100 metre and 200 metre events in both indoor and outdoor events. He began competing in athletics while in school and continued his career at Texas A&M University. He became the first sprinter to achieve a 100–200 sprint double at the Big 12 Conference event and earned an All-American award. Phiri's international début in the 2009 World Championship in Athletics where he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100 metres. He won a silver medal in a 60 metres event in his second year at university, and secured three medals at the 2010 Big 12 Conference meet.

Contents

Phiri later competed in the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, and qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was eliminated at the semi-final stage but competed strongly in events the following year. Phiri narrowly missed out on clinching a medal at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 60 metres, and withdrew from the African Championships in Athletics two years later because of an injury. He was unable to advance to the semi-finals of the 100 metres at the 2016 Summer Olympics after finishing fourth in his heat.

Early and personal life

Phiri was born on 6 October 1988 in Ndola Central Hospital, Ndola, Zambia. [1] He is the son of Huggins and Bestoria Phiri and has two brothers. [2] His family moved to South Africa in 1996, but later migrated to the Mid Wales town of Welshpool after his mother found employment in the country. Phiri attended Abbeydale Grange School in Sheffield and trained with City of Sheffield and Dearne Athletic Club in South Yorkshire. [3] He played football while in school and was offered a place in Sheffield Wednesday's academy but declined because he wanted to focus on athletics, and also played Basketball and Badminton. [4] Phiri graduated from Texas A&M University in May 2012, and later moved to Orlando, Florida. [1] He selected the university to have life-changing experiences. [2] Phiri said in a 2012 interview that his sporting motivations were Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Tyson Gay. [1] He formerly represented the United Kingdom but switched to Zambia in 2009, [2] and holds dual citizenship of both countries. [5]

School, collegiate and early international career

He ran a wind-assisted time of 11.76 seconds and 11.85 seconds in a 100 metres event while in Year 7. It would have been a new national record but was not recognised because of him having recently arrived in the United Kingdom. [3] Phiri was discovered by his physical education teacher the following year during his school's annual sports day and realised that he had talent in the sport after winning his event at the 2003 English Schools' Athletics Championships. [1] In 2005 he recorded the third-fastest 100 metres time in the UK Under-17 sprinters' history, at 10:51 seconds. Phiri reached the semi-finals of the 100 metres at the UK (AAA) Senior Championships, and made the 60 metres indoors final in the same event, and finished fifth overall. He attributed the poor results to having issues with his back despite winter training. [3] Phiri was the 2006 England Schools Champion, and earned the Harold Whitham Award for securing the best finish for a Sheffield athlete in the event. [2]

In his first year at university (2008) Phiri finished in sixth place in 60 metres at NCAA Indoors, and became the first male sprinter in the history of the Big 12 Conference to achieve a 100–200 sprint double in the conference event. His achievements led to him earning an All-America n award. [2] The following season Phiri was part of a relay squad that established a new Texas A&M time record in the 4 x 100 metres event, and recorded the 2009 top collegiate time in the process. He competed in the 4 x 200 metres event along with three other athletes and broke a 19-year school record. [2] Phiri made his international athletics début at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics where he finished second in his heat of the 100 metres behind Usain Bolt. [6] He was eliminated in the event's semi-final stage and later pulled out of the tournament due to an injury. [7]

During his junior year (2010) Phiri won the NCAA silver medal in the 60 meters with a season-best time of 6.60 seconds, and placed fourth in the 100 meters and finished eighth in the 200 meters at the 2010 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. At the Big 12 Conference meet he secured the gold medal in the 60 metres, the silver medal in the indoor 60 metres, and was the bronze medallist in the indoor 200 metres. [2] That same year Phiri competed as part of a relay team which established a new time record in the 4 x 200 metres in securing the Texas relays title (one minute, 22:31 seconds), and secured five victories as part of a 4 x 100 metres relay squad. He recorded an indoor career best time of 20:87 seconds en route to winning the Texas A&M Conference Challenge in his final collegiate sporting year. [2] Phiri won the 100 metres event at the 2011 Texas Relays, with a new time record of 10:06 seconds. [8] He competed in the 100 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics but did not advance to the semi-finals of the event after finishing sixth in his heat. [9]

Olympics and further international competition

2012–2013

Phiri made the semi-finals of the men's 60 metres at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships by finishing second in the first heat but was unable to start the race. [10] He qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London because his fastest time of 10:06 seconds met the "B" standard time. [8] [11] He prepared for the Olympics by travelling to the Netherlands and adapted to a new climate and time zone. [1] Phiri made the semi-finals of the 100 metres but did not progress into the final after finishing fifth in the event's second heat. [12] He finished seventh in the 100 metres at the 2012 running at the Stockholm Bauhaus Athletics. [13] Phiri secured a third-place finish in the 100 metres at the 2012 Padua International Athletics Meeting, with a time of 10:20 seconds. [14] He won the 60 metres event at the 2013 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston with a time of 6.97 seconds. [15] Phiri made it to the semi-finals of that year's running of the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City where he secured a fourth-place finish in his heat in the 100 metres which meant he did not progress to the final of the event. [16] He recorded a ten-second time at an IFAM Meeting in Oordegem on 1 June. [17]

2014–present

He was selected to represent Zambia at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Poland. [18] Phiri won his heat in the 60 metres with a time of 6.59 seconds and was able to advance to the semi-finals of the event. [19] He finished second in the third heat of the semi-finals, [20] but narrowly missed out on achieving a medal by finishing fifth in the final with the same time as the third and fourth-place finishers. [21] Phiri progressed to the final of the 100 metres in the 2016 African Championships in Athletics but withdrew due to a hip injury he sustained in the semi-finals of the event and was unable to participate in the 4 x 100 metres relay race. [22] At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he placed fourth with a time of 10.27 seconds in his heat of the 100 metres and did not qualify for the semi-finals. [23] Phiri was the flag bearer for Zambia at the closing ceremony. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Collins</span> Saint Kitts and Nevis sprinter

Kim Collins is a former Kittitian track and field sprinter. In 2003, he became the World Champion in the 100 metres. He represented his country at the Summer Olympics on five occasions, from 1996 to 2016, and was the country's first athlete to reach an Olympic final. He competed at ten editions of the World Championships in Athletics, from 1995 to 2015, winning five medals. He was a twice runner-up in the 60 metres at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. At regional level, he was a gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games and a silver medallist at the Pan American Games. As of 2023, he is the only Individual World Championships Gold medallist from Saint Kitts and Nevis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Pognon</span> French sprinter

Ronald Pognon is a French sprint athlete. He originally specialized in the 200 metres, but later shifted to the shorter sprint distances. He was formerly the European record holder for the 60 metres indoors and is the first Frenchman to go under 10 seconds at the 100 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivet Lalova-Collio</span> Bulgarian sprinter

Ivet Miroslavova Lalova-Collio is a Bulgarian athlete who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres sprint events. She is the 13th-fastest woman in the history of the 100 metres. She finished fourth in the 100 metres and fifth in the 200 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Her career was interrupted for two years between June 2005 and May 2007 due to a leg injury sustained in a collision with another athlete. In June 2012 she won gold at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in the Women's 100 metres. In July 2016 she won two silver medals at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in both the Women's 100 and 200 metres. She has participated in five editions of the Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Bailey</span> Antiguan sprinter

Daniel Bakka Everton Bailey is a sprinter from Antigua and Barbuda who specializes in the 100m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaysuma Saidy Ndure</span> Gambian-Norwegian sprinter (born 1984)

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure is a Gambian-Norwegian sprinter. He is of Serer heritage of the noble Ndure family. In 2002, he went to Oslo, aged 18 and settled with his father who has lived in Norway since the 1970s. Having changed nationality from Gambia to Norway in 2006, he holds Norwegian records in the 100 and in the 200 metres, and is the seventh and fourth fastest European of all times on the two distances. He has a bronze medal from the African Championships and several top-three placings in IAAF Golden League meets and the IAAF World Athletics Final.

Lerone Ephraime Clarke is a Jamaican track and field sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and the 60 metres. He is the former Commonwealth Games champion in the 100 m. His personal best for that distance is 9.99 seconds, set in 2009. He has represented Jamaica three times at the IAAF World Indoor Championships and holds the Jamaican record for the indoor 150m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Thompson (sprinter)</span> Trinidadian athlete

Richard "Torpedo" Thompson is a sprinter from Trinidad and Tobago who specializes in the 100 metres. His personal best of 9.82 seconds, set in June 2014, was one of the top ten fastest of all time, and a national record. In the 200 meters, he has the fourth fastest time by a Trinidad and Tobago athlete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandra Fedoriva</span> Russian sprinter (born 1988)

Aleksandra Andreyevna Fedoriva is a Russian track and field athlete who competes mainly in sprinting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barakat Al-Harthi</span> Omani sprinter (born 1988)

Barakat Mubarak Al-Harthi is an Omani sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Su Bingtian</span> Chinese sprinter (born 1989)

Su Bingtian is a professional Chinese track and field athlete specializing in the 100 metres event. As of 2022, he is the first ever Asian-born sprinter to break the 10-second barrier. Su's personal best of 9.83 seconds makes him the 10th fastest man all-time in the history of 100 metres at the Olympics, the 15th fastest man all-time in the history of the 100m event, and the current holder of the 100 m Asian record. Su's personal best in the 60 metres of 6.42 seconds placed him within the top six all-time in the event.

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

Zambia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its twelfth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1964 Summer Olympics. The delegation consisted of seven competitors; three track and field athletes Gerald Phiri, Prince Mumba and Chauzje Choosha, one each in Boxing and Judo and two swimmers, Zane Jordan and Jade Ashleigh Howard. Phiri, Mumba, Choombe and Munyonga had qualified by meeting the standards in their respective sports, and Choosha, Jordan and Howard qualified by wildcard places. Mumba was the national flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kilty</span> British sprinter (born 1989)

Richard Kilty is a British sprinter who competes both Indoor and Outdoor across all the sprint events including 60 metres, 100 metres, 150 metres, and 200 metres. An exceptional starter, and considered a specialist in both 60 metres and relays, he is a former World and double European Champion indoors at 60 metres, and also a silver medalist in the World Athletics Championships, as well as a European and Commonwealth champion in the 4 x 100 metre relay for Great Britain and England respectively. Kilty is one of the few British athletes to have won medals at every major championships, indoors and out, including the World Relays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavel Maslák</span> Czech sprinter

Pavel Maslák is a Czech sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres and 400 metres. He is the only athlete in history who has won the 400 m title at the World Indoor Championships at three consecutive championships. Maslák is the first Czech to have run 400 metres under 45 seconds outdoor and under 46 seconds indoor.

Chauness Chauzje Choosha is a Zambian sprinter. She participated in the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships where she established a new Zambian national record in the 60 metres, and was eliminated at the semi-final stage of the 100 metres at the African Championships in Athletics. Choosha qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics via a wildcard and did not qualify for the preliminary round of the 100 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Wijmeersch</span> Belgian sprinter

Erik Wijmeersch is a Belgian former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. His greatest success was a gold medal in the 200 metres at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in 1996. His best time of 20.66 remains the Belgian indoor record for the event. He also holds bests of 10.17 seconds for the 100 metres and 6.69 seconds for the indoor 60 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Blum</span> German track and field sprinter

Christian Blum is a German track and field sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres and 60 metres. He holds personal bests of 10.20 seconds and 6.56 seconds for those events. He was the 60 m silver medallist at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in 2015. He has also won medals with the 4×100 metres relay team. He is a five-time German champion over 60 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristi Castlin</span> American track and field athlete

Kristi Castlin is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Her personal best for the event is 12.50 seconds, set on July 8, 2016, during the finals of the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, in which she qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics by placing 2nd. She was the 2012 American champion in the indoor 60 metres hurdles and represented the United States at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She shares the world record for the shuttle hurdle relay, with her time of 50.78 seconds set in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadine Visser</span> Dutch track and field athlete

Nadine Visser is a Dutch track and field athlete who competed in the combined events until 2017 and specialises in short hurdling since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Coleman</span> American sprinter (born 1996)

Christian Coleman is an American professional track and field sprinter who competes in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. The 2019 world champion in the 100 meters, he also won gold as part of men's 4 × 100-meter relay. He holds personal bests of 9.76 seconds for the 100 m, which made him the 6th fastest all-time in the history of 100 metres event, and 19.85 for the 200 m. Coleman is the world record holder for the indoor 60 meters with 6.34 seconds. He was the Diamond League champion in 2018 and 2023 and the world number one ranked runner in the men's 100 m for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Levy (athlete)</span> Jamaican hurdler

Ronald Levy is a Jamaican male track and field athlete who competes in the 110 metres hurdles. He holds a personal best of 13.05 seconds for that event, set in 2017, as well as a 100 metres sprint best of 10.17 seconds. He was the gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and represented his country at the World Championships in Athletics in 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Exclusive Interview with Zambian Olympic 100m runner Gerald Phiri". Lusaka Times. 19 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Gerald Phiri". Texas A&M University. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Casey, Andy (5 September 2005). "Born to run - Part 1". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  4. Casey, Andy (5 September 2005). "Born to run - Part 2". BBC. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. Croome, Richard (7 June 2009). "A&M's Phiri a true competitor" . The Bryan-College Station Eagle. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  6. Turnbull, Simon (15 August 2009). "Bolt laughs his way through the heats". The Independent. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  7. "Zambia's medal hopes at World athletic Championships end" . Xinhua News Agency. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  8. 1 2 Riggs, Randy (10 April 2011). "Rebounding right into a record run" . Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  9. "100 metres men – 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – Heats – Results". IAAF. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  10. "2012 World Indoor Championships – Men's 60 metres (semifinals)" (PDF). Omega Timing. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
  11. "London 2012 Olympics: Athletics qualification". The Daily Telegraph. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  12. "Phiri's Olympic dream ends". UK Zambians. 6 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  13. "DN Gala Diamond League Meeting Results". Associated Press. 17 August 2012.
  14. Mazeko, Ignatius (5 September 2012). "Phiri in Third Place Finish" . The Times of Zambia. Africa News Agency. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  15. "Gerald Phiri Wins Boston Race" . The Times of Zambia. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  16. "IAAF Diamond League-Adidas Grand Prix Results". ESPN. Associated Press. 25 May 2013. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  17. "Hurdler Jason Harvey sets new personal best in Belgium". BBC Sport. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  18. Chaile, Grace (19 December 2013). "Two Picked for IAAF Holland 2014 World Championships" . The Times of Zambia. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  19. "Gerald Phiri wins Heat One, qualifies to final in the 60 metres race". Lusaka Voice. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  20. Musonda, Shamaoma (9 March 2014). "Gerald Phiri Storms Semis" . The Times of Zambia. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  21. "Gerald Phiri Misses Medal" . The Times of Zambia. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2016 via General OneFile.
  22. Mwanza, Adrian (29 June 2016). "Phiri 'praying' for good report on injury". Zambia 24. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  23. "Men's 100m - Standings". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  24. "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony". Olympics.org. 21 August 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.