Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie

Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie

Ferguson-McKenzie at the 2009 World Championships
Medal record
Women's Athletics
Representing  Bahamas
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 4x100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 200 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 Seville 4x100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2001 Edmonton 200 m
Silver medal – second place 2009 Berlin 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Berlin 200 m
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1999 Winnipeg 200 m
World Athletics Final
Silver medal – second place 2004 Monaco 200 m
Silver medal – second place 2007 Stuttgart 200 m
CAC Championships In Athletics
Gold medal – first place 1997 San Juan 100 m
Gold medal – first place 1997 Grenada 4x100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2003 Grenada 4x100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2008 Cali 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1993 Cali 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1993 Cali 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Cali 4×100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Morelia 4×100 m relay
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 100 m
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 200 m
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 4x100 m relay
Continental Cup
Gold medal – first place 2002 Madrid 200 m
Gold medal – first place 2002 Madrid 4x100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2006 Athens 4x100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2010 Split 4×100m relay
Goodwill Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 Uniondale 4x100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 2001 Brisbane 200 m
CAC Junior Championships (U20)
Gold medal – first place 1994 Port of Spain 100 m
Silver medal – second place 1994 Port of Spain 200 m
CAC Junior Championships (U17)
Gold medal – first place 1990 Havana 4x400 m relay
Gold medal – first place 1992 Tegucigalpa 100 m
Gold medal – first place 1992 Tegucigalpa 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Havana Pentathlon
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Havana 4x100 m relay
CARIFTA Games
Junior (U20)
Gold medal – first place 1994 Bridgetown 100m
Gold medal – first place 1994 Bridgetown 200m
Gold medal – first place 1995 George Town 100m
Gold medal – first place 1995 George Town 200m
Gold medal – first place 1995 George Town 4x100m relay
Silver medal – second place 1992 Nassau 4x100m relay
Silver medal – second place 1992 Nassau 4x400m relay
Silver medal – second place 1993 Fort-de-France 4x100m relay
Silver medal – second place 1993 Fort-de-France 4x400m relay
Silver medal – second place 1994 Bridgetown 4x100m relay
Silver medal – second place 1994 Bridgetown 4x400m relay
Silver medal – second place 1995 George Town 4x400m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Fort-de-France 100m
CARIFTA Games
Youth (U17)
Gold medal – first place 1991 Port of Spain 100m
Gold medal – first place 1992 Nassau 100m
Silver medal – second place 1992 Nassau 200m
Silver medal – second place 1992 Nassau 400m
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Port of Spain 200m

Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (born 16 January 1976) is a former Bahamian sprinter who specialised in the 100 and 200 metres.[1] Ferguson-McKenzie participated in five Olympics.

Ferguson-McKenzie is assistant coach of track and field at University of Kentucky. Previously, she coached for four years at the University of Houston.[2]

In 1995, she was awarded the Austin Sealy Trophy for the most outstanding athlete of the 1995 CARIFTA Games.[3][4] In total she won 7 gold, 9 silver, and 2 bronze CARIFTA Games medals.

She had her first major successes with the Bahamian 4×100 metres relay team, winning gold at the Pan American Games and World Championships in Athletics in 1999, and taking another gold at the Olympic Games the following year. She won her first individual gold medal at the 2001 World Championships – having initially won silver, gold medallist Marion Jones was later disqualified.

The 2002 season was a career high for Ferguson-McKenzie: she won five gold medals, with victories at the IAAF World Cup and Grand Prix Final, and a 100 m, 200 m and relay gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Her performance in the 100 m remains a personal best, and her time in the 200 m was a commonwealth games record and fastest by any athlete that year.[5] She won her only individual Olympic medal in 2004, taking bronze in the 200 m. Injury ruled her out for the whole of 2005.[6] She failed to reach the finals at the 2007 World Championships, unable to compete with the new generation of American and Jamaican sprinters.[7] However, she managed to reach the 100 and 200 metres finals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

She was the previous 200 m national record holder with a best of 22.19 seconds. Her record was broken by Shaunae Miller-Uibo (22.05 seconds) at the 2016 Jamaica Grand Prix. Her 100 m best (10.91) is the second fastest time by a Bahamian after Chandra Sturrup.

In 2014 Ferguson-McKenzie became the women's sprints and hurdles coach for the track and field program at the University of Houston.[8]

Ferguson-McKenzie was coached some part of her professional career by Henry Rolle.

  1. ^ "Athlete biography: Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie". Beijing2008.cn. Archived from the original on 9 September 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  2. ^ "Five-Time Olympian Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie Loves Being Part Of Kentucky Track". WLEX. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  3. ^ Carifta Games Magazine, Part 2 (PDF), Carifta Games 2011, archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012, retrieved 12 October 2011
  4. ^ Carifta Games Magazine, Part 3 (PDF), Carifta Games 2011, archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012, retrieved 12 October 2011
  5. ^ 200 Metres 2002. IAAF (14 October 2004). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  6. ^ Saunders, Gerrino (13 July 2006). BAAA Lists Surprising ‘Times’. The Bahama Journal. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  7. ^ 100 Metres 2007. IAAF. (4 April 2008). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Cougars Welcome Track and Field Great Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie". Houston Cougars Track & Field. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2019.