Kevin Young (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Curtis Young (born September 16, 1966 in Watts, California) is a former American
athlete. He was the winner of the 400 meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics
. In the final of this event he set a world record and Olympic record of 46.78 seconds, which remains unbeaten.
He became the 400 m hurdles world champion the following year, winning at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics
with a time of 47.18 seconds. He had an unusual hurdling technique of switching between 12 and 13 strides between the hurdles, departing from the 13-stride technique popularized by Edwin Moses
.
Young's performances sharply declined after 1993 and he neither reached a final at the US National Championships
nor competed in an international championships again. He retired in 1999 and was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2006.
had attended a few years earlier, Young was first successful as a 110 meter hurdler, finishing in a tight 3rd place at the 1984 CIF California State Meet
. As a UCLA
"walk-on", Young won the NCAA
titles in 400 m hurdles in 1987 and 1988.
Young made his debut at the international scene at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow
, USSR and later at the 1987 Pan American Games
in Indianapolis
placing second. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, Young finished fourth just behind Edwin Moses
(whose record Young would replace four years later) in his final race. At the 1991 World Championships
, Young was again fourth.
title and was unbeaten prior to the Barcelona Olympics, which he won with a new world record
of 46.78, despite failing to clear the last hurdle cleanly. The record still stands, and he is also the only person to have run 400 m hurdles in less than 47 seconds. This was achieved using 12 strides between hurdles (nearly 9 feet per stride) switching to 13 later in the race, a technique only Young has ever perfected.
Young's world-record run is noteworthy in one other respect; it could have been even faster. Being so far ahead of the field, he slowed down and raised his arm in celebration as he crossed the finish line. Despite this, he set a world record which still stands. Young became the first ever ESPY
award winner in track presented by ESPN
.
It is well noted that Young, throughout the 1992 season prior to Barcelona, placed small pieces of paper with the numbers 46.89 in each running spike. He had mentally convinced himself that running under 47 seconds was not impossible.
In 1993, Young won his second US National Championships title and had 25 consecutive wins until he was beaten by Samuel Matete
from Zambia
just two weeks before 1993 World Championships
. In the World Championships final, however, Young again made a decisive move between hurdles 7 and 8. He held this lead until the finish, beating Matete by 0.42 seconds.
. He raced at just two meetings in 1994: he took second at the New York Games with a season's best of 49.70 seconds but failed to make the 400 m hurdles final at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
. He quit the season after the championships, never getting into top condition. He withdrew from the limelight, buying a residence in Alpharetta, Georgia
. There he focussed on working within the Atlanta community doing appearances at local Atlanta Boys and Girls Clubs, appearing at Niketown for toy drives for homeless shelter families. Still nursing a nagging knee injury, Young looked forward to a 1995 practicing at Life College
. Unable to manage through the pain he ended his season requiring surgery two days after his birthday. With help from coach Bobby Kersee
, Young was eager to get ready for the Atlanta
trials
, only to advance as far as the semis, placing fifth in his heat. Years after the 1996 trials Young embraced many opportunities to run overseas throughout Europe and in Isreal. While running in Greece in 1998 Young was approached to become a member and run for the Panhellinos Gymnastics Club, while racing in Greece. Mr. Minos Kiriakou, a billionaire shipping magnate and media tycoon welcomed their new club athlete. In 1998 European "Group B" Champions Cup,Young won the 400m hurdles event setting then a club record. Never "officially" retiring, Young simply marveled in the exploits of the newer talented group of hurdlers respecting their feats and his own achievements. He was inducted into the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame
in 2006.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete. He was the winner of the 400 meter hurdles at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
. In the final of this event he set a world record and Olympic record of 46.78 seconds, which remains unbeaten.
He became the 400 m hurdles world champion the following year, winning at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....
with a time of 47.18 seconds. He had an unusual hurdling technique of switching between 12 and 13 strides between the hurdles, departing from the 13-stride technique popularized by Edwin Moses
Edwin Moses
Edwin Corley Moses is an American track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400 metre hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals and set the world record in his event four times...
.
Young's performances sharply declined after 1993 and he neither reached a final at the US National Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
nor competed in an international championships again. He retired in 1999 and was inducted into the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2006.
Early life
At Jordan High School (Los Angeles, California), the same high school that Florence Griffith-JoynerFlorence Griffith-Joyner
Florence Griffith-Joyner , also known as Flo-Jo was an American track and field athlete. She is considered the "fastest woman of all time" based on the fact that she still holds the world record for both the 100 metres and 200 metres, both set in 1988 and never seriously challenged...
had attended a few years earlier, Young was first successful as a 110 meter hurdler, finishing in a tight 3rd place at the 1984 CIF California State Meet
CIF California State Meet
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet...
. As a UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
"walk-on", Young 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...
titles in 400 m hurdles in 1987 and 1988.
Young made his debut at the international scene at the 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, USSR and later at the 1987 Pan American Games
1987 Pan American Games
The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, from 7 August to 23 August 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas competed in 30 sports earning...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
placing second. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, Young finished fourth just behind Edwin Moses
Edwin Moses
Edwin Corley Moses is an American track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400 metre hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals and set the world record in his event four times...
(whose record Young would replace four years later) in his final race. At the 1991 World Championships
1991 World Championships in Athletics
The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1 and athletes from 167 countries participated in the event.The event is best-remembered for the...
, Young was again fourth.
Olympic gold and world record
In 1992, Young won his first USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsUSA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
title and was unbeaten prior to the Barcelona Olympics, which he won with a new world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
of 46.78, despite failing to clear the last hurdle cleanly. The record still stands, and he is also the only person to have run 400 m hurdles in less than 47 seconds. This was achieved using 12 strides between hurdles (nearly 9 feet per stride) switching to 13 later in the race, a technique only Young has ever perfected.
Young's world-record run is noteworthy in one other respect; it could have been even faster. Being so far ahead of the field, he slowed down and raised his arm in celebration as he crossed the finish line. Despite this, he set a world record which still stands. Young became the first ever ESPY
Espy
-People:* Cecil Espy , American baseball player* Duane Espy, American baseball figure* James Pollard Espy , American meteorologist.* Mike Espy , American politician* William Gray Espy , American actor...
award winner in track presented by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
It is well noted that Young, throughout the 1992 season prior to Barcelona, placed small pieces of paper with the numbers 46.89 in each running spike. He had mentally convinced himself that running under 47 seconds was not impossible.
In 1993, Young won his second US National Championships title and had 25 consecutive wins until he was beaten by Samuel Matete
Samuel Matete
Samuel Matete is a retired male track and field athlete from Zambia, who competed mainly in 400 meter hurdles. Noted for his exceptionally fast finish, he was one of the world's leading hurdlers in the early 1990s, and became the first Zambian track and field world champion in 1991...
from Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
just two weeks before 1993 World Championships
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....
. In the World Championships final, however, Young again made a decisive move between hurdles 7 and 8. He held this lead until the finish, beating Matete by 0.42 seconds.
Decline
After 1993, Young's performances on the track declined considerably for a number of reasons. Young was disconnected from his training base in California and departed from his former coach John SmithJohn Smith (athlete)
John Walton Smith is a former American athlete, who competed in the sprints events during his career. He is best known for winning the men's 400 metres event at the 1971 Pan American Games....
. He raced at just two meetings in 1994: he took second at the New York Games with a season's best of 49.70 seconds but failed to make the 400 m hurdles final at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
. He quit the season after the championships, never getting into top condition. He withdrew from the limelight, buying a residence in Alpharetta, Georgia
Alpharetta, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,854 people, 13,911 households, and 8,916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,631.6 people per square mile . There were 14,670 housing units at an average density of 686.7 per square mile...
. There he focussed on working within the Atlanta community doing appearances at local Atlanta Boys and Girls Clubs, appearing at Niketown for toy drives for homeless shelter families. Still nursing a nagging knee injury, Young looked forward to a 1995 practicing at Life College
Life University
Life University is located in Marietta, Georgia. It is best known for its doctorate degree program in chiropractic, but it also offers a number of undergraduate programs.- History :...
. Unable to manage through the pain he ended his season requiring surgery two days after his birthday. With help from coach Bobby Kersee
Bob Kersee
Bob Kersee is a famous and successful American track coach, husband, and coach of, among others, Jackie Joyner-Kersee....
, Young was eager to get ready for the Atlanta
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
, only to advance as far as the semis, placing fifth in his heat. Years after the 1996 trials Young embraced many opportunities to run overseas throughout Europe and in Isreal. While running in Greece in 1998 Young was approached to become a member and run for the Panhellinos Gymnastics Club, while racing in Greece. Mr. Minos Kiriakou, a billionaire shipping magnate and media tycoon welcomed their new club athlete. In 1998 European "Group B" Champions Cup,Young won the 400m hurdles event setting then a club record. Never "officially" retiring, Young simply marveled in the exploits of the newer talented group of hurdlers respecting their feats and his own achievements. He was inducted into the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame
National Track and Field Hall of Fame
The National Track and Field Hall of Fame located within the Armory Foundation at 216 Fort Washington Avenue, between 168th and 169th Streets, in Washington Heights, in the New York City borough of Manhattan, is a museum operated by The Armory Foundation in conjunction with USA Track & Field...
in 2006.