Tyson Gay
United States

  • Full name Tyson Gay
  • Birth date August 9, 1982
  • Birth place Lexington, USA
  • Current age 41 years 232 days
  • Height 5 ft 11 in
Tyson Gay
Profile

A triple world champion, Tyson Gay is the second fastest man of all time and the quickest American in history.

Sprinting genes were passed down to Gay from his grandmother, who ran for Eastern Kentucky University, while his mother Daisy was also an accomplished runner in her youth. Family influence played a key part in Gay's early development as his older sister Tiffany, a keen sprinter herself, had the upper hand until he was 14. Gay later said her "quick start" motivated him to get faster.

In his final year as an amateur, Gay helped his university to another NCAA outdoor victory, crossing the line for a new personal best of 19.93 seconds in the 200m qualifiers and finishing third in the finals. At the end of 2005, his first season as a professional, he claimed his first major championship title, cruising home in the 200m at the World Athletics Final in a time of 19.96s.

By 2006, Gay was regularly breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m and his form continued in 2007 when he won three gold medals at the World Championships in Osaka. Gay stormed home in 9.85s to take the 100m title and a new championship record of 19.76s helped him beat Usain Bolt in the 200m. A gold medal in the 4x100m relay final was the icing on the cake.

Hamstring injuries hampered his preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the world was denied a Gay, Bolt and Powell final as Gay failed to qualify for the showpiece. Gay returned to form in May 2009 when he set a blistering wind-assisted time of 9.75s to win the US Championships.

At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Gay was expected to push Bolt and Powell hard after clocking two sub-10 second runs in the preliminary rounds. In the final he ran a new US record of 9.71s but it wasn't enough to beat Bolt, who set a new world record of 9.58s. Gay shaved three-hundreds of a second off his personal best at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, matching Bolt's effort from Beijing (9.69s).

In August 2010, Gay left World and Olympic champion Bolt for dead to win the 100m in Stockholm in 9.84s - the first time he had got the better of his arch-rival.

Gay's 2011 season was interrupted when he required hip surgery, and it was almost a year before he ran competitively again. Incredibly he then qualified for the US Olympic team with a time of 9.86s, and then made the final at London 2012.

As if to compound his poor luck Gay ran 9.80s in the final but still missed out on a medal, pipped to bronze by Justin Gatlin by only one-hundredth of a second in what was the fastest Olympic race in history. He did however secure his first Olympic medal in the 4x100m relay with a silver. His world - and reputation - came crashing down in 2013 when he failed two drugs tests. He maintained he had been a victim of a back-room blunder.

Career high
Winning three gold medals at the 2007 World Championships to match the feat achieved by Maurice Greene in 1999 and Carl Lewis in 1983 and 1987.

Career low
Failing two drugs tests in 2013

Quotes
"I'm a religious man, so I really believe in my God-given ability, that I can do the unexpected. I really do believe I can break a record, or come close to it, or win a medal." Tyson Gay

"In America it's hard to accept No. 2. It's the pride of the United States. If people know me here it's only because they follow track, even though I am the fastest man who has ever walked in America - football, any sport. I am the second fastest man in history and getting to No. 1 is what keeps me going. It keeps me humble." Tyson Gay

Trivia
Gay set a new world record for the straight 200m at the Great City Games in Manchester in May 2010. He clocked 19.41s to beat Tommie Smith's 44-year-old mark by 0.09s

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Jun 23, 2011

Tyson Gay competes in the Men's 100m

Jun 11, 2011

Tyson Gay loses to Steve Mullings

Aug 6, 2010

Tyson Gay beats Usain Bolt

Aug 6, 2010

Tyson Gay crosses the line ahead of Usain Bolt

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