Bernard Williams (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Bernard Rollen Williams, III (bərˈnɑrd ; born January 19, 1978) is an American track and field
athlete and winner of a gold medal in 4×100-meters relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics
.
Williams accepted an athletic scholarship
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team. He graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree
in sociology
in 2008.
In 2000, Williams won the NCAA
Championships in the 100 meters as a Florida Gator sprinter and ran the second leg on the gold medal-winning American 4x100-meters relay team at the Sydney
Olympics
.
At the 2001 World Championships
, Williams finished third in the 100 meters to complete the Americans clean sweep of the event and ran the second leg on the American 4x100-meters relay team, which won the gold medal. The team's gold medals were withdrawn when Tim Montgomery
was discovered to have used steroids.
In 2003, Williams won the US National Championships in 100 meters and was fifth in 100 m at the 2003 World Championships
. He was also a member of gold medal-winning American relay team. He tested positive for cannabis and received a warning from the USADA in August 2004, but was still able to compete in the Olympics in accordance with IAAF rules.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
, Williams won the silver medal in 200 meters, edging compatriot and 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin
in the final few meters. It was an American 1-2-3 as Shawn Crawford
won the gold.
Bernard performs under the stage name "Hollywood" as a stand-up comic in the North Florida area when he is not training. He was noted for his comedy antics during the 2004 Olympics, including using the people's eyebrow
He is currently the sprinting coach for Oak Hall School's track and field team.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete and winner of a gold medal in 4×100-meters relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Biography
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Bernard Williams won the 100 m at the 1999 Pan-American Games.Williams accepted an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team. He graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
in 2008.
In 2000, Williams won the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Championships in the 100 meters as a Florida Gator sprinter and ran the second leg on the gold medal-winning American 4x100-meters relay team at the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
At the 2001 World Championships
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
, Williams finished third in the 100 meters to complete the Americans clean sweep of the event and ran the second leg on the American 4x100-meters relay team, which won the gold medal. The team's gold medals were withdrawn when Tim Montgomery
Tim Montgomery
Timothy Montgomery is a former American athlete. In 2005, he was stripped of his records – including a now void 100m world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002 – after being found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs...
was discovered to have used steroids.
In 2003, Williams won the US National Championships in 100 meters and was fifth in 100 m at the 2003 World Championships
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
. He was also a member of gold medal-winning American relay team. He tested positive for cannabis and received a warning from the USADA in August 2004, but was still able to compete in the Olympics in accordance with IAAF rules.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, Williams won the silver medal in 200 meters, edging compatriot and 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin
Justin Gatlin
Justin Gatlin is an American sprinter. He is an Olympic gold medalist, with a 100 m personal best of 9.85 seconds. He served a four-year ban from track and field for testing positive for a banned substance; Gatlin had appealed the ban in 2009, but it was later denied.- Biography :Gatlin attended...
in the final few meters. It was an American 1-2-3 as Shawn Crawford
Shawn Crawford
Shawn Crawford is an American sprint athlete. He competes in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. He won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 200 meters....
won the gold.
Bernard performs under the stage name "Hollywood" as a stand-up comic in the North Florida area when he is not training. He was noted for his comedy antics during the 2004 Olympics, including using the people's eyebrow
He is currently the sprinting coach for Oak Hall School's track and field team.
Personal bests
| Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 meters | 6.20 | Gainesville, Florida Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth... , United States |
February 6, 2000 |
| 60 meters 60 meters The 60 meter band or 5 MHz band is a relatively new amateur radio allocation and originally only available in a few countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Ireland and Iceland... |
6.56 | Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado... , United States |
February 12, 1999 |
| 100 meters | 9.94 | Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census... , Canada |
August 5, 2001 |
| 200 meters | 20.01 | Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium |
August 24, 2001 |
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of University of Florida alumni
- List of University of Florida Olympians