Larry Myricks

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Larry Myricks (born March 10, 1956 in Clinton , Hinds County , Mississippi ) is a retired American athlete .

Life

Myricks was the world's best long jumper in the 1970s . In 1976 he took part in his first Olympic Games in Montréal and was one of the favorites. During a warm-up jump prior to the final, however, a mishap happened to him: he twisted over on landing and broke his ankle. In 1979 he was number one in the world rankings in the long jump, but the American Olympic boycott in 1980 destroyed the dream of an Olympic gold medal. In 1984 the dream finally came true, but meanwhile another American was at the center of the action. At the Olympic Games in Los Angeles he placed fourth and the new star was Carl Lewis won gold. Myricks made another attempt at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul . Lewis won again, but Myricks, now 32 years old, won his first Olympic medal with a bronze medal.

In 1990 Myricks was banned for doping with phenylpropanolamine . At the age of 35 he took part in one of the most legendary long jump competitions in the history of athletics: At the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo , world champion Mike Powell jumped a world record of 8.95 m and Carl Lewis, the runner-up world champion , jumped 8.91 m the old world record distance of Bob Beamon from the year 1968. Myrick, the 8.42 m achieved, could nevertheless still secure the bronze medal he already in 1987 in Rome had won. There he was initially only placed in fourth place behind the local Giovanni Evangelisti due to a cheating by the referees , but subsequently received the bronze medal.

The fast American was also an excellent 200m runner. For the USA he started at the 1983 World Cup in Helsinki not only in the long jump but also over this sprint route. In 1983 he was fifth in the world rankings.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Positives for Myricks , The New York Times June 22, 1990

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Myricks, Larry
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American athlete
DATE OF BIRTH March 10, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Clinton , Mississippi