34 Facts About Merlene Ottey

Merlene Ottey began her career representing Jamaica in 1978 and continued to do so for 24 years before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 2012.

Merlene Ottey is ranked sixth on the all-time list over 60 metres, eleventh on the all-time list over 100 metres and seventh on the all-time list over 200 metres.

Merlene Ottey is the current world indoor record holder for 200 metres with 21.87 seconds, set in 1993.

Merlene Ottey was named Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year 13 times between 1979 and 1995.

Merlene Ottey won 14 World Championship medals, and still holds the record for most medals in individual events with 10.

Merlene Ottey was born to Hubert and Joan Ottey in Cold Spring, Hanover, Jamaica.

Merlene Ottey was introduced to the sport by her mother, who bought her a manual on track and field.

Merlene Ottey's inspiration came from listening to the track and field broadcast from the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where Donald Quarrie ran in the sprint finals.

Merlene Ottey won 14 individual national titles and earned 24 All-America awards, both of which are the most by any Husker student-athlete.

Merlene Ottey won multiple NCAA titles in each of her five total seasons, including five combined indoor and outdoor titles in 1982 and four in 1981.

Merlene Ottey earned multiple All-America accolades in each of her five seasons, with seven combined All-America awards in 1982, six in 1980 and five in 1981.

Merlene Ottey was a member of Nebraska's indoor national championship teams in 1982,1983 and 1984.

Merlene Ottey still holds Nebraska's top indoor marks in the 55- and 200-meter dashes and the program's top outdoor marks in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

Merlene Ottey represented Jamaica in the 1979 Pan American Games, winning a bronze medal in the 200m.

Merlene Ottey graduated from university with a Bachelor of Arts degree, married fellow athlete Nathaniel Page in 1984, and briefly used the name Merlene Ottey-Page.

Merlene Ottey was named Ambassador of Jamaica after winning her gold medal at the 1993 World Championships.

Merlene Ottey has been named Jamaican Sportswoman of the Year 13 times between 1979 and 1995.

Merlene Ottey had never won an Olympic gold medal but lost by five-thousandths of a second to Gail Devers in the 100m final at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta when they both recorded the same time of 10.94 seconds.

Merlene Ottey held the record for most World Championship medals, winning 14 between 1983 and 1997 until Allyson Felix took her total from 13 to 16 in 2017, to 18 in 2019, and to 20 in 2022.

Merlene Ottey still holds the record for most World Championship medals in individual events, with 10.

Merlene Ottey was appointed an Ambassador at Large by the Jamaican government in 1993.

Merlene Ottey was inducted into Nebraska's first Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 2015.

Merlene Ottey was banned by the IAAF from competing in the World Championships in Seville, Spain.

Merlene Ottey fought to clear her name, asserting that charge was a "terrible mistake", and that she was innocent of knowingly taking steroids.

In Jamaica, at the National Senior Trials before selection for the Olympics, Merlene Ottey placed a disappointing fourth.

Merlene Ottey asked that she be substituted for another team member, a courtesy that had been extended to others in the past.

Dowdie's team members and many Jamaicans believed that Merlene Ottey had bullied her way onto the team.

Jamaican 400 m Olympian and championship medallist Gregory Haughton led the notorious "Games Village" protests to oust Merlene Ottey, which made international headlines.

At the 2000 Olympics, Merlene Ottey finished fourth in the 100 m, beaten from a medal by fellow Jamaican sprinter Tayna Lawrence.

Merlene Ottey competed for Slovenia in the 100 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where she reached the semifinals.

Merlene Ottey finished 5th, missing out on qualification for the final by just 0.03s.

Merlene Ottey finished fifth in the semi-finals of the 100 metres and did not qualify for the final, which was won by Belgium's Kim Gevaert.

Merlene Ottey failed by 0.28 seconds to reach her eighth Olympic Games, aged 48 in 2008.

At the age of 52, Merlene Ottey competed in the 4x100 meters relay at the 2012 European Athletics Championships.