Wyomia Tyus

Personal information

Born

August 29, 1945 (age 71)
Griffin, Georgia, United States

Height

1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)

Weight

61 kg (134 lb)

Sport

Athletics

Event(s)

100 m, 200 m

Club

TSU Tigers, Nashville

Achievements and titles

Personal best(s)

100 yd – 10.3 (1965)
100 m – 11.08 (1968)
200 m – 23.08 (1968)

Medal record

Representing the United States
Olympic Games
	1964 Tokyo	100 m
	1968 Mexico City	100 m
	1968 Mexico City	4×100 m relay
	1964 Tokyo	4×100 m relay
Pan American Games
	1967 Winnipeg	200 m

Wyomia Tyus (pronunciation: why-o-mia; born August 29, 1945) is a retired American track and field sprinter, and the first person to retain the Olympic title in the 100 m (a feat since duplicated by Carl Lewis, Gail Devers, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt).

As the youngest of four children, and the only girl in the family Tyus was encouraged by her father to participate I sport. While a high school athlete Tyus participated in basketball and began her track endeavors as a high jumper before transitioning to the sprints after being invited to a summer track clinic at Tennessee State University in 1960. It was in this same year that Tyus's father died leaving the job of male role model in Tyus's life to her soon to be track coach at Tennessee State Edward Stanley Temple.

Tyus, from Tennessee State University, participated in the 1964 Summer Olympics at age 19. In the heats of the event, she equaled Wilma Rudolph's world record, propelling her to a favored position for the final, where her main rival was fellow American Edith McGuire. Tyus won the final, beating McGuire by 0.2 seconds. At the same Olympics, she also won a silver medal with the 4 × 100 m relay team.

The following years, Tyus won numerous national championships in the sprint events, and a gold medal in the 200 m at the Pan-American Games. In 1968, she returned to the Olympics to defend her title in the 100 m. In the final, she set a new world record of 11.08 s to become the first person, male or female, to retain the Olympic 100 metres title. Tyus also qualified for the 200 m final, in which she finished sixth. Running the final leg for the relay team, Tyus helped setting a new world record, winning her third gold medal.

Director Bud Greenspan filmed Tyus casually dancing behind her starting blocks before the Olympic final. When interviewed later she said she was doing the "Tighten Up" to stay loose.

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Wikipedia