Merlene Ottey

Merlene Ottey

Ottey in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Merlene Joyce Ottey-Page
Born	(1960-05-10) 10 May 1960 (age 56) Cold Spring, Hanover, Jamaica
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
Country	Jamaica & Slovenia
Sport	Athletics
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games (9 medals) 0 3 6 World Championships (14 medals) 3 4 7 World Indoor Championships (7 medals) 3 2 2 Total (30 medals) 6 9 15 Women's athletics Representing  Jamaica Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta 100 m 1996 Atlanta 200 m 2000 Sydney 4x100 m relay 1980 Moscow 200 m 1984 Los Angeles 100 m 1984 Los Angeles 200 m 1992 Barcelona 200 m 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m relay 2000 Sydney 100 m World Championships 1991 Tokyo 4x100 m relay 1993 Stuttgart 200 m 1995 Gothenburg 200 m 1983 Helsinki 200 m 1993 Stuttgart 100 m 1995 Gothenburg 100 m 1995 Gothenburg 4x100 m relay 1983 Helsinki 4x100 m relay 1987 Rome 100 m 1987 Rome 200 m 1991 Tokyo 100 m 1991 Tokyo 200 m 1993 Stuttgart 4x100 m relay 1997 Athens 200 m World Indoor Championships 1989 Budapest 200 m 1991 Seville 200 m 1995 Barcelona 60 m 1987 Indianapolis 200 m 1991 Seville 60 m 1989 Budapest 60 m 2003 Birmingham 60 m Commonwealth Games 1982 Brisbane 200 m 1990 Auckland 200 m 1990 Auckland 100 m 1982 Brisbane 100 m 1982 Brisbane 4x100 m relay Pan American Games 1979 San Juan 4x100 m relay 1979 San Juan 200 m

Merlene Joyce Ottey OD (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican-born Slovene track and field sprinter. Ottey began her career representing Jamaica, before representing Slovenia from 2002–12. She is ranked fourth on the all-time list over 60 metres (indoor), sixth on the all-time list over 100 metres and fourth on the all-time list over 200 metres. Her world indoor record for 200 metres of 21.87 seconds, set in 1993, still stands (as of 2016).

Ottey has had the longest career as a top level international sprinter, concluding with her anchoring the Slovene 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2012 European Championships at the age of 52. A nine-time Olympic medallist, she holds the record for the most Olympic appearances (seven) of any track and field athlete and for winning the largest number of World Championships medals (fourteen). Her career achievements and longevity have led to her being called the "Queen of the Track". Her proclivity for earning bronze medals in major championships also earned her the title of "Bronze Queen" in track circles.

Ottey was formerly married to the American high jumper and 400 m hurdler Nat Page and was known as Merlene Ottey-Page during the mid-eighties.

Merlene Ottey was born to Hubert and Joan Ottey in Cold Spring, Hanover, Jamaica. She was introduced to the sport by her mother, who bought her a manual on track and field. In her early school years in the 1970s, Ottey attended Gurneys Mount and Pondside Schools before graduating from Ruseas and Vere Technical high schools. There she frequently competed barefoot in local races.

Ottey's inspiration came from listening to the track and field broadcast from the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where Donald Quarrie ran in the sprint finals. Her athletics career took off when she moved to the US and attended the University of Nebraska in 1979, where she joined the track team. She represented Jamaica in the 1979 Pan American Games, winning a bronze medal in the 200 m. She graduated from university with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and married fellow athlete Nathaniel Page in 1984 and briefly used the name Merlene Ottey-Page. The couple later divorced.

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