Coby Miller
Encyclopedia
Coby Miller is an American
track and field athlete, who specialises in the sprint events. In his career he recorded a sub-10 second
personal best in the 100 meters
and a sub-20 second best in the 200 meters
. In the latter distance, he won the 1999 Summer Universiade
and reached the 2000 Sydney Olympics final. He suffered leg injuries in the 2001 and 2002 seasons, but returned in late 2002 as part of the gold-medal-winning American 4 x 100 m relay
team at the IAAF World Cup
, breaking the championship record. He ran under ten seconds in the 100 m Olympics Trials in 2004, but failed to qualify for the event. However, he won an Olympic
silver medal
at the 2004 Athens Games as part of the American 4 x 100 m relay team. At his peak he was regularly ranked among the top ten American sprinters.
; in 1999 he won the 200 m at the NCAA indoor championships and came second in the outdoor championships. He also enjoyed international success that year, winning the 200 m at the Summer Universiade
.
He set a 200 m personal best of 19.96 seconds at the 2000 United States Olympic Trials, and reached the 200 m final at the Sydney Olympics
. He qualified for the IAAF Grand Prix Final
in the 100 m and finished in fourth place. The following year he became the 2001 American indoor champion over 200 m, running a world leading time. However, a pile-up at the finish line resulted in a broken fibula, ruling him out for the rest of the athletics season. This included the 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships
in which he was previously a strong medal contender. The following year he missed much of the indoor track season due to hamstring
problems, which were a knock-on effect of his previous injury.
Upon his return in 2002 he won medals at a number of track meets in both the 100 and 200 m, including a personal best-equalling win of 9.98 seconds in the 100 m at Gresham
. He again reached the Grand Prix Final but finished last. However, Tim Montgomery
and Dwain Chambers
who finished first and second later tested positive for banned substances and Miller was upgraded to sixth place. Forming an American team with Jon Drummond
, Jason Smoots
and Kaaron Conwright
for the 2002 IAAF World Cup
, Miller anchored the US to victory, setting a championship record of 37.95 seconds. He was ranked #7 in the world in both the 100 m and 200 m that year. The following year he failed to repeat this form, scraping Track and Field News top ten US sprinters list. However, he set new personal bests over 50
and 60 meters
, with runs of 5.67 seconds and 6.49 seconds respectively. He also won 200 m at the Athletissima
Grand Prix, finishing in 20.07 seconds.
He competed at the 2004 World Indoor Championships but failed to make the 200 m final. In the outdoor season, Miller put in a strong performance in the 100 m Olympic Trials in 2004. However, his time of 9.99 seconds was not enough to edge out Maurice Greene
, Justin Gatlin
or Shawn Crawford
. This was the first time that a sprinter had run under ten seconds at the event and not managed to qualify for the Olympics. He was also eliminated in the 200 m event, registering a sub-par 20.68 seconds. His time in the 100 m trials was convincing enough for a place in the 4 x 100 m relay squad, and the team (comprising Miller, Crawford, Greene and Gatlin) went on to finish second in the Olympic finals; resulting in an Olympic silver medal for Miller.
Since the 2004 Olympics, Miller has not attended any major international competitions. However, he regularly competed at track meetings during the 2004–2008 period, running in the 100 and 200 meters, although his times were significantly slower in comparison to his 2004 peak. He competed at the Ponce Grand Prix
in May 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
track and field athlete, who specialises in the sprint events. In his career he recorded a sub-10 second
10-second barrier
The 10-second barrier is a term used in track and field athletics which refers to the physical and psychological barrier of completing the men's 100 metres sprint in under ten seconds...
personal best in the 100 meters
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
and a sub-20 second best in the 200 meters
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
. In the latter distance, he won the 1999 Summer Universiade
1999 Summer Universiade
The 1999 Summer Universiade, also known as the XX Summer Universiade, took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.-Medal table:-Sports at the 1999 Summer Universiade:* Athletics* Basketball* Diving* Fencing* Football* Gymnastics* Judo* Sailing...
and reached the 2000 Sydney Olympics final. He suffered leg injuries in the 2001 and 2002 seasons, but returned in late 2002 as part of the gold-medal-winning American 4 x 100 m relay
4 x 100 metres relay
The 4 × 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the same stagger as for the individual 400 m race...
team at the IAAF World Cup
2002 IAAF World Cup
The 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was hosted by Madrid, September 21–22, 2002, in the Estadio La Peineta...
, breaking the championship record. He ran under ten seconds in the 100 m Olympics Trials in 2004, but failed to qualify for the event. However, he won an Olympic
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...
silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2004 Athens Games as part of the American 4 x 100 m relay team. At his peak he was regularly ranked among the top ten American sprinters.
Career
Miller had his first successes as a collegiate athlete at Auburn UniversityAuburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
; in 1999 he won the 200 m at the NCAA indoor championships and came second in the outdoor championships. He also enjoyed international success that year, winning the 200 m at the Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 1999 Summer Universiade
The Athletics Tournament at the 1999 Summer Universiade took place in the new Estadio Son Moix in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from July 4 to July 9, 1999. Five Universiade records were set.-Men’s events:-Women’s events:-References:* *...
.
He set a 200 m personal best of 19.96 seconds at the 2000 United States Olympic Trials, and reached the 200 m final at the Sydney 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...
. He qualified for the IAAF Grand Prix Final
IAAF Grand Prix Final
The IAAF Grand Prix Final was an athletics competition featuring track and field events staged by the International Association of Athletics Federations...
in the 100 m and finished in fourth place. The following year he became the 2001 American indoor champion over 200 m, running a world leading time. However, a pile-up at the finish line resulted in a broken fibula, ruling him out for the rest of the athletics season. This included the 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 8th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon, Portugal from March 9 to March 11 2001. It was the first time the Championships had been held in Portugal...
in which he was previously a strong medal contender. The following year he missed much of the indoor track season due to hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
problems, which were a knock-on effect of his previous injury.
Upon his return in 2002 he won medals at a number of track meets in both the 100 and 200 m, including a personal best-equalling win of 9.98 seconds in the 100 m at Gresham
Gresham, Norfolk
Gresham is a village and civil parish in North Norfolk, England, five miles south-west of Cromer.A predominantly rural parish, Gresham centres on its medieval church of All Saints. The village also once had a square 14th century castle, a watermill and a windmill...
. He again reached the Grand Prix Final but finished last. However, 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...
and Dwain Chambers
Dwain Chambers
Dwain Anthony Chambers is an English sprinter of Afro-Caribbean descent. He has won medals on the international stage numerous times and is one of the fastest European sprinters in the history of recorded athletics. His primary event is the 100 metres sprint, in which he has the second...
who finished first and second later tested positive for banned substances and Miller was upgraded to sixth place. Forming an American team with Jon Drummond
Jon Drummond
Jonathan A. Drummond is an American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics....
, Jason Smoots
Jason Smoots
Jason Smoots is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.At the 2002 IAAF World Cup he won the 4 x 100 metres relay race together with Jon Drummond, Kaaron Conwright and Coby Miller...
and Kaaron Conwright
Kaaron Conwright
Kaaron Conwright is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres.As a sprinter at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Kaaron Conwright was a 3 time all-American in the 100m and a 2 time all-American in the 200m. In the Big West Conference, he was a 4 time champion in the 100m from the years of...
for the 2002 IAAF World Cup
2002 IAAF World Cup
The 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was hosted by Madrid, September 21–22, 2002, in the Estadio La Peineta...
, Miller anchored the US to victory, setting a championship record of 37.95 seconds. He was ranked #7 in the world in both the 100 m and 200 m that year. The following year he failed to repeat this form, scraping Track and Field News top ten US sprinters list. However, he set new personal bests over 50
50 metres
50 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor athletics competitions it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes...
and 60 meters
60 metres
60 metres is a sprint event in track and field athletics. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior athletes...
, with runs of 5.67 seconds and 6.49 seconds respectively. He also won 200 m at the Athletissima
Athletissima
Athletissima is an annual athletics meeting at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League.The first edition was held on 8 July 1977....
Grand Prix, finishing in 20.07 seconds.
He competed at the 2004 World Indoor Championships but failed to make the 200 m final. In the outdoor season, Miller put in a strong performance in the 100 m Olympic Trials in 2004. However, his time of 9.99 seconds was not enough to edge out Maurice Greene
Maurice Greene (athlete)
Maurice Greene is a retired American track and field sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World 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...
or 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....
. This was the first time that a sprinter had run under ten seconds at the event and not managed to qualify for the Olympics. He was also eliminated in the 200 m event, registering a sub-par 20.68 seconds. His time in the 100 m trials was convincing enough for a place in the 4 x 100 m relay squad, and the team (comprising Miller, Crawford, Greene and Gatlin) went on to finish second in the Olympic finals; resulting in an Olympic silver medal for Miller.
Since the 2004 Olympics, Miller has not attended any major international competitions. However, he regularly competed at track meetings during the 2004–2008 period, running in the 100 and 200 meters, although his times were significantly slower in comparison to his 2004 peak. He competed at the Ponce Grand Prix
Ponce Grand Prix
The Ponce Grand Prix de Atletismo is a track and field competition held yearly in Ponce, Puerto Rico at the Francisco Montaner Stadium. The event started in 2007, after the successful hosting of the 2006 Ibero-American Championships.-Competitions:...
in May 2009.
Personal bests
| Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 meters | 5.67 | Liévin Liévin Liévin is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Overview:The city of Liévin is an old mining city of Pas-de-Calais. Near Lens, this modest-sized city nevertheless has several nursery schools, schools, colleges, a university, a swimming pool, a city library, a cultural and... , France |
February 23, 2003 |
| 55 meters | 6.11 | 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 |
January 22, 1999 |
| 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... |
6.49 | Ghent Ghent Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of... , Belgium |
February 9, 2003 |
| 100 meters | 9.98 | Durham, North Carolina Durham, North Carolina Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census... , United States |
June 2, 2000 |
| Portland Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States... , Oregon Oregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern... , United States |
May 18, 2002 | ||
| 200 meters | 19.96 | Sacramento, California Sacramento, California Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,... , United States |
June 23, 2000 |
- All information from IAAF Profile.
External links
- Track meet performance from The-Sports.org