Merlene Ottey

The Honourable
Merlene Ottey
ON OJ OD
Merlene Ottey in Warsaw, Poland in September 2011
Personal information
Birth nameMerlene Joyce Ottey
Full nameMerlene Joyce Ottey
CitizenshipJamaican (birth), Slovenia (since May 2002)
Born (1960-05-10) 10 May 1960 (age 64)
Cold Spring, Hanover, Colony of Jamaica, British Empire
Height175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight62 kg (137 lb)
SpouseNat Page (1984–1987; divorced)
Sport
Country
  • Jamaica (1978–2002)
  • Slovenia (2002–2012)
SportAthletics
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
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 100 m
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 200 m
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1980 Moscow 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Los Angeles 100 m
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Los Angeles 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 100 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Tokyo 4x100 m relay
Gold medal – first place 1993 Stuttgart 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1995 Gothenburg 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1983 Helsinki 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1993 Stuttgart 100 m
Silver medal – second place 1995 Gothenburg 100 m
Silver medal – second place 1995 Gothenburg 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Helsinki 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Rome 100 m
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Rome 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Tokyo 100 m
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Tokyo 200 m
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Stuttgart 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Athens 200 m
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 Budapest 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1991 Seville 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1995 Barcelona 60 m
Silver medal – second place 1987 Indianapolis 200 m
Silver medal – second place 1991 Seville 60 m
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Budapest 60 m
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Birmingham 60 m
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1982 Brisbane 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1990 Auckland 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1990 Auckland 100 m
Silver medal – second place 1982 Brisbane 100 m
Bronze medal – third place 1982 Brisbane 4x100 m relay
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1979 San Juan 4x100 m relay
Bronze medal – third place 1979 San Juan 200 m

Merlene Joyce Ottey ON OJ OD[2] (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican-Slovenian former track and field sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978, and continued to do so for 24 years, before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 2012. She is ranked fourth on the all-time list over 60 metres (indoor), eighth on the all-time list over 100 metres and sixth on the all-time list over 200 metres. She is the current world indoor record holder for 200 metres with 21.87 seconds, set in 1993. She was named Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year 13 times between 1979 and 1995.

Ottey had the longest career as a top-level international sprinter appearing at the 1979 Pan American Games as a 19-year-old fresh from U-20 and Junior competitions, and concluding her career at age 52 when she anchored the Slovene 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2012 European Championships.[3][4]

A nine-time Olympic medalist, she holds the record for the most Olympic appearances (seven) of any track and field athlete. Although gold medal success at the Olympics eluded Ottey, she was able to bring home three silvers and six bronze medals. She won 14 World Championship medals,[5] and still holds the record (as of 2017) for most medals in individual events with 10.[6] Her career achievements and longevity led to her being called the "Queen of the Track". Her proclivity for earning bronze medals in major championships earned her the title of "Bronze Queen" in track circles.[7]

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-1980s.[8]

  1. ^ "Merlene Ottey-Page". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Merlene Ottey to receive Jamaica's fourth-highest national honour". Jamaica Loop News. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Merlene Ottey becomes oldest athlete in Euro championships". masterstrack.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  4. ^ Chandler, Helen (31 July 2010). "Merlene Ottey hopes age will be no barrier in the long run". The Guardian. London.
  5. ^ Statistics book, Berlin 2009 Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 13 August 2009.
  6. ^ "Individual placings". IAAF. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  7. ^ Washington Post 20 August 2004
  8. ^ "Merlene OTTEY | Profile". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 11 April 2020.