Marie-José Pérec biography
Marie-José Pérec, (born May 9, 1968, Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe), French athlete who was the primary sprinter to win consecutive Olympic gold medals within the 400-metre sprint.
Pérec grew up on the West Indian island of Basse-Terre in Guadeloupe, an abroad administrative district of France. In 1984 she was recruited by a visiting French coach who took her to the mainland, the place she positioned second within the 200-metre sprint on the French junior championships. In 1988, at age 20, she set her first nationwide document within the 400 metres (51.35 seconds) and made her Olympic debut in Seoul, South Korea, the place she superior to the quarterfinals of the 200 metres. In 1991 Pérec broke 11 seconds within the 100 metres and 50 seconds within the 400 metres, and over the following a number of years she dominated the latter occasion. She received the 400 metres on the 1991 and 1995 world championships, and on the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, she captured her first medal, profitable the gold in that occasion. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, she achieved the uncommon feat of profitable each the 200-metre and 400-metre dashes and have become the primary sprinter to defend her Olympic title within the 400 metres.
Pérec, who stood 5 ft 10 inches (180 cm) tall and had a stride overlaying 8.2 ft (2.5 metres), earned the nickname “La Gazelle” from the French media. From 1992 to 1996 she was the highest-ranked 400-metre runner on the planet, besides in 1993 when, over the objections of her coach, she targeted on the 200 metres, clocking a private better of 21.99 seconds. Following the 1996 season, nonetheless, she was tormented by quite a few accidents. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, she hoped to make a comeback however abruptly withdrew from the Games shortly earlier than she was to compete.