Linford Christie History

Undoubtedly the greatest 100m sprinter from Europe, Linford Christie became the Olympic 100m champion after he won the Barcelona 1992 gold medal.

Born on 2 April 1960 in Saint Andrew, Jamaica, Linford Cicero Christie is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 meters at all four major competitions (the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the European Championships, and the World Championships) open to British athletes.

Christie was the first European athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. Linford Christie, the most decorated British male athlete, is a former European record holder in the 100 meters, 60 meters, and the 4 x 100 meters relay.

At the 1998 Seoul Olympics, Linford Christie tested positive for the stimulant pseudoephedrine but managed to escape sanction after disciplinary committee of the International Olympic Committee voted by a margin of 11 to 10. It was later reported that two of the judging panels were asleep when the process of voting was happening. The track career of Christie ended when he received a doping ban of two years for testing positive for Nandrolone, a banned performance enhancing drug, at an indoor meet in Germany.

Christie was appointed Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1990 and Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1998. Linford Christie was inducted in 2009 into the London Youth Games Hall of Fame.  In 2010, Christie was inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame.