Marlon Devonish

Last updated

Marlon Devonish
MBE
Marlon Devonish 2005.jpg
Devonish at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki
Personal information
NationalityFlag of England.svg  England
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Born (1976-06-01) 1 June 1976 (age 48)
Coventry, England
Height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight72 kg (159 lb)
Sport
SportRunning
Event(s) 100 metres, 200 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100m: 10.06 s (Lausanne 2007)

150m: 14.87 s (Manchester 2011)

200m: 20.19 s (Manchester 2002)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2004 Athens 4x100 m relay
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1999 Sevilla 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2005 Helsinki 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2007 Osaka 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2009 Berlin 4×100 m relay
European Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 Gothenburg 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2002 Munich 200 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2006 Gothenburg 200 m
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2003 Birmingham 200 m
Representing Flag of England.svg  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m relay
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2002 Manchester 4×100 m relay
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Delhi 4×100 m relay
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Manchester 200 m
Devonish (right) in the starting blocks before the 150 metres race at the Manchester City Games. Manchester City Games 2009 - Men's final 2 (crop2).jpg
Devonish (right) in the starting blocks before the 150 metres race at the Manchester City Games.

Marlon Ronald Devonish, MBE (born 1 June 1976) is an English former sprinter who competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres. [1] A prodigious relay runner with particular strength as a 'bend' runner, Devonish ran the third leg for the Great Britain quartet which won the 4 x 100 metres at the 2004 Olympic Games, and won four World Championship medals in the same event in 1999, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

Contents

Early life

Devonish attended Caludon Castle School in Coventry, where his athletic talent was first discovered by his P.E. teacher Timothy Coleman who took him to Coventry Godiva Harriers athletics club. [2]

Career

He is a member of the Coventry Godiva Harriers athletics club and was coached by Tony Lester. Early in his career he was successful at both 100 and 200-metre distances, winning English Schools and European Junior titles at both, but in later years he concentrated mostly on the longer distance. He was also a regular member of both the British and, at the Commonwealth Games, English 4 x 100-metre sprint relay teams, to some considerable success. He is a current Commonwealth Games record holder in the relay event.

The most notable achievement of his career came at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. There Devonish, along with Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell and Mark Lewis-Francis, won a gold medal in the 4x100m. relay, where the quartet defeated the pre-race favourites, United States team, by just 0.01 seconds, in a season's best of 38.07. [3]

At the British Championships (and team trials for the 2006 European Championships) in July 2006, Devonish became the first man since Linford Christie in 1988 to win both the 100 m and 200 m races at the event. [4] At the championship finals, he took the bronze medal in the 200 m.

Devonish retained his 100 m title at the British Championships the following year. For the 2007 season Devonish improved his performance in the 100 m with a new personal best and competed in this event at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka rather than the 200 m which he had previously specialised in. Devonish finished 6th in the 100 m final.

Devonish represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He competed at the 4x100 metres relay together with Simeon Williamson, Tyrone Edgar and Craig Pickering. In their qualification heat they were disqualified and eliminated. [1] He also took part in the 200 metres individual, finishing first with a time of 20.49 seconds in his first round heat. With 20.43 seconds in his second round he only placed fourth in his heat, but his time was among the four best losing times and enough to qualify for the semi-finals. There he came to 20.57 seconds and the seventh time in his race, which was not enough for the final. [1]

He competed at the 2009 Manchester City Games, finishing second in the 150 metres final in 15.07 seconds. He was beaten by Usain Bolt who ran a world best-beating time. [5]

On 22 August 2009, Devonish was a member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland men's 4x100m relay team that took bronze at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin with a season's best of 38.02. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Simeon Williamson and Tyrone Edgar ran the other legs.

Post-athletics

On 16 July 2013, Devonish was brought in as sprint coach for Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester. [6]

On 8 January 2018, Devonish started working for the British International School Shanghai located in Puxi, Shanghai, China as their elite athlete performance coach in residence.

International competition record

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain and Flag of England.svg  England
1994 World Junior Championships Lisbon, Portugal1st (h) [7] 4 × 100m relay 39.92
1995 European Junior Championships Nyíregyháza, Hungary1st200 m21.04
1st4 × 100m relay39.43
1996 European Indoor Championships Stockholm, Sweden11th (sf)200 m 21.86
1997 European U23 Championships Turku, Finland3rd100 m 10.32 w(+2.8 m/s)
1st4 × 100 m relay 38.99
World Championships Athens, Greece35th (qf)100 m 10.37
6th (h)4 × 100 m relay 38.47
1998 European Championships Budapest, Hungary5th100 m 10.24
1st (h)4 × 100 m relay 38.47
Commonwealth Games Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia8th100 m 10.22
1st4 × 100 m relay 38.20
World Cup Johannesburg, South Africa1st4 × 100 m relay 38.09
1999 European Cup Paris, France1st4 × 100 m relay38.16
World Championships Seville, Spain7th (sf)200 m 20.25
2nd4 × 100 m relay 37.73
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia27th (sf)200 m 20.82
–4 × 100 m relay DQ
2001 World Championships Edmonton, Canada8th200 m 20.38
–4 × 100 m relay DNF
Goodwill Games Brisbane, Australia4th200 m 20.74
1st4 × 100 m relay 38.71
2002 Commonwealth Games Manchester, United Kingdom2nd200 m 20.19
1st4 × 100 m relay 38.62
European Championships Munich, Germany3rd200 m 20.24
–4 × 100 m relay DQ
World Cup Madrid, Spain3rd200 m relay 20.32
6th4 × 100 m relay 39.23
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom1st200 m 20.62
World Championships Paris, France–4 × 100 m relay DQ
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece1st4 × 100 m relay 38.07
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland14th (sf)100 m 10.24
12th (sf)200 m 20.93
3rd4 × 100 m relay 38.27
2006 Commonwealth Games Melbourne, Australia8th100 m 10.30
12th (sf)200 m 20.93
–4 × 100 m relay DNF
4th4 × 400 m relay 3:02.01
European Championships Gothenburg, Sweden3rd200 m 20.54
1st4 × 100 m relay 38.91
World Cup Athens, Greece2nd4 × 100 m relay 38.45 1
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan6th100 m 10.14
3rd4 × 100 m relay 37.90
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China13th (sf)200 m 20.57
1st4 × 100 m relay DQ
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany12th (sf)200 m 20.62
3rd4 × 100 m relay 38.02
2010 European Championships Barcelona, Spain4th200 m 20.62
9th (h)4 × 100 m relay 39.49
Commonwealth Games Delhi, India5th200 m 20.75
1st4 × 100 m relay 38.74
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea16th (sf)100 m 10.25
4th (h)4 × 100 m relay 38.29 2

1Representing Europe
2Did not finish in the final

Personal bests

DistanceTimeWindLocationDate
100 m 10.06 sec+ 1.3 m/s Lausanne 10 July 2007
200 m 20.19 sec+ 1.4 m/s Manchester 29 July 2002

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Campbell</span> British sprinter and coach (born 1973)

Darren Andrew Campbell, is a British former sprint athlete. He was the sprint coach at Wasps Rugby Club for the 2015–16 season. He competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres, as well as the 4 × 100 metres relay.

Jason Carl Gardener, is a retired British sprint athlete. A fast starter from the blocks, he won an Olympic gold medal leading off Great Britain in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2004 Olympic Games, and is also the 2004 World Indoor Champion, and a four-time European Indoor champion, at 60 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Lewis-Francis</span> British track and field sprinter (b.1982)

Mark Anthony Lewis-Francis, MBE is a retired British track and field athlete, specifically a sprinter, who specialised in the 100 metres and was an accomplished regular of GB 4 x 100m relay. A renowned junior, his greatest sporting achievement at senior level has been to anchor the Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4 x 100 metres relay team to a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Individually, Lewis-Francis has won the silver medal in the 100 m at the 2010 European Athletics Championships and silver medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Men's 100m final and numerous indoor medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Malcolm</span> Welsh sprinter (born 1979)

Christian Sean Malcolm is a retired Welsh track and field athlete who specialised in the 200 metres. In 2020 he was appointed Head Coach of the British Athletics Olympic Programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Aikines-Aryeetey</span> British sprinter (born 1988)

Harry Leslie Aikines-Aryeetey is an English sprinter. In 2005 he was named as the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and the IAAF's Rising Star of the Year after becoming the first athlete to win gold medals at both 100 metres and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Nelson</span> British sprinter

Alexander Lloyd (Alex) Nelson is a retired sprint athlete who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simeon Williamson</span> English bobsledder & track and field sprinter

Simeon Oscar Williamson is an English bobsledder and former track and field sprinter who specialised in the 100 metres. Williamson, a London native, is the second cousin to 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medalist British high jumper Germaine Mason. He is coached by Lloyd Cowan, and his athletics club is Highgate Harriers. He is a former British 100 metres champion.

Tyrone Damien Edgar is a sprinter from Great Britain who specializes in the 100 metres.

Ali Shareef is a track and field sprint athlete who competes internationally for the Maldives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nataliya Pohrebnyak</span> Russian-Ukrainian sprinter (born 1988)

Nataliya Olehivna Pohrebniak is a Russian-Ukrainian sprint athlete who specializes in the 100 metres. Pohrebniak was part of the Ukrainian women's 4 × 100 m that won gold during the 2010 European Athletics with 42.29 – the fastest time in the world that year. She changed her allegiance to Russia after 2016 and began competing in Russian national competitions in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Brown (sprinter)</span> Canadian sprinter (b. 1992)

Aaron Brown is a Canadian sprinter who specializes in the 100 and 200 metres. As part of Canada's 4×100 m relay team, he is the 2024 Olympic gold medalist, 2020 Olympic silver medalist, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and the 2022 World champion. Brown has also won two World bronze medals as part of Canada's 4×100 m relay teams in 2013 and 2015.

Leon Baptiste is a retired English sprint runner who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres events. On the 4th of November 2021 he visited Rood End Primary School for the morning. He became the 100 m European junior champion in 2004 and won his first major title six years later by taking the 200 m gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi. He competes domestically for Enfield and Haringey Athletic Club and is coached by Michael Khmel at Loughborough University alongside the likes of Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Tim Abeyu and James Dasaolu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Gemili</span> British sprinter (born 1993)

Adam Ahmed Gemili is a British sprinter. He is the 2014 European champion at 200 metres, three-time European champion in the 4 x 100 metres relay, and part of the Great Britain team that won gold at the 2017 World Championships in the same event. He has finished fourth in the 200 m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and fourth and fifth in separate editions of the World Championships in the same event.

<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">Desirèe Henry</span> British sprinter (born 1995)

Desirèe Henry is a British sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She won an Olympic silver medal in the women's 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2016 Rio Games, and a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

Luke Greenbank is an English professional swimmer who specialises in backstroke. A medalist in the 200 metre backstroke at the Olympic Games and the World and European championships, he also swam the first leg in the 2019 World and 2020 European Championship gold medal-winning Great Britain medley relay teams. He won a silver medal as lead-off for Great Britain in the 4 x 100 metre medley relay for men at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He won a gold medal as lead-off for England in the heats of the 4 x 100 metre medley relay for men at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendon Rodney</span> Canadian sprinter (born 1992)

Brendon Rodney is a Canadian sprinter. As a member of the Canadian men's relay team, he is a three-time Olympic medallist in the 4 × 100 metres relay, taking gold in 2024, silver in 2020 and bronze in 2016. He is also the 2022 World champion and 2015 World bronze medallist in the same event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake</span> British sprinter (born 1994)

Nethaneel Joseph Mitchell-Blake is a British sprinter who specialises in the 200 metres and the 4 x 100 metre relay. He was the 2013 European Junior Champion and his personal best of 19.95 seconds ranks him as the second-fastest in Britain of all-time in the individual event. He is only the second Briton, after Adam Gemili to break both 10 seconds for 100 metres and 20 seconds for 200 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daryll Neita</span> British sprinter (born 1996)

Daryll Saskia Neita is a British sprinter. She won a silver medal in the 200 metres at the 2024 European Championships along with bronze in the 100 metres at the 2022 European Championships, 2022 Commonwealth Games and in the 60 metres at the 2023 European Indoor Championships. She has also won several medals as part of Great Britain 4 × 100 m relay teams, including an Olympic silver medal in 2024 and bronze medals in 2016 and 2021, World Championships silver medals in 2017 and 2019 and European gold in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Blake</span> Canadian track and field athlete (b. 1995)

Jerome Blake is a Canadian track and field athlete specializing in the sprint events. As a member of the Canadian 4 × 100 m relay team, he is the 2024 Olympic gold medallist, 2020 Olympic silver medallist and the 2022 World champion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Athlete biography: Marlon Devonish". Beijing2008.cn. Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  2. ↑ Clemons, Pete (16 February 2016). "Caludon Castle School's music heritage stretches far and wide". Coventry Telegraph . Trinity Mirror . Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Rob Bagchi (22 February 2012). "50 stunning Olympic moments No15: Great Britain's 2004 relay victory". The Guardian .
  4. ↑ Devonish storms to sprint double. BBC Sport (16 July 2006). Retrieved on 13 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Superb Bolt storms to 150m record. BBC Sport (17 May 2009). Retrieved on 17 May 2009.
  6. ↑ "Marlon Devonish: Olympic athlete to train Gloucester squad". BBC News. 16 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  7. ↑ Competed only in the heat.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.