Merlene Ottey World Championships 1983-1993 

The World Championships Helsinki 1983

200 metre final (wind speed: +1.5):
1. Marita Koch GDR 22.13
2. Merlene Ottey JAM 22.19
3. Kathy Cook GBR 22.37
4. Florence Griffith USA 22.46
5. Grace Jackson JAM 22.63
6. Aneliya Nuneva BUL 22.68
7. Angela Bailey CAN 22.93
8. Ewa Kasprzyk POL 23.03

100 metre final (wind speed: -0.5):
1. Marlies Göhr GDR 10.97
2. Marita Koch GDR 11.02
3. Diane Williams USA 11.06
4. Merlene Ottey JAM 11.19
5. Angela Bailey CAN 11.20
6. Helinä Marjamaa FIN 11.24
7. Angella Taylor CAN 11.30
8. Evelyn Ashford USA DNF

4 x 100 metre relay final:
1. German Democratic Republic  41.76
2. Great Britain & Northern Ireland  42.71
3. Jamaica  42.73
4. Bulgaria  42.93
5. Canada  43.05
6. Soviet Union  43.22
7. France  43.40
8. Czechoslovakia 43.78

The World Championships Rome 1987

200 metre final (wind speed: +1.2):
1. Silke Gladisch GDR 21.74
2. Florence Griffith USA 21.96
3. Merlene Ottey JAM 22.06
4. Pam Marshall USA 22.18
5. Gwen Torrence USA 22.40
6. Mary Onyali NGR 22.52
7. Ewa Kasprzyk POL 22.52
8. Nadezhda Georgieva BUL 22.55

100 metre final (wind speed: -0.5):
1. Silke Gladisch GDR 10.90
2. Heike Drechsler GDR 11.00
3. Merlene Ottey JAM 11.04
4. Diane Williams USA 11.07
5. Angella Issajenko CAN 11.09
6. Aneliya Nuneva BUL 11.09
7. Angela Bailey CAN 11.18
8. Pam Marshall USA 11.19

4 x 100 metres relay final:
1. United States 41.58
2. German Democratic Republic  41.95
3. Soviet Union 42.33
4. Bulgaria  42.71
5. Federal Republic of Germany  43.20
6. Canada 43.26
7. Cuba 43.66
8. France 43.75

The World Championships Tokyo 1991

Prior to the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo Merlene Ottey was unbeaten in 57 100 metre finals and 36 200 metre finals and she topped the world rankings for both distances for the second year in a row. Therefore she was off course the favorite to take both sprint titles in Tokyo, but after the two finals har nickname as "lady of bronze" really fitted her. The 100 metre and 200 metre gold was instead taken by Katrin Krabbe of the unified German team. In both finals the American Gwen Torrence came in between and took silver leaving Ottey with the possible greatest disappointment in her career: two bronze medals.

But relief came on the last day of the championships in the 4 x 100 metre relay. Ottey showed what great form she was in and ran a fantastic last leg for Jamaica - leaving the Russians and Germans trailing behind - finishing in Jamaican record of 41.94. FINALLY a gold medal for Merlene Ottey!

Joy on the faces of the Jamaican girls after  the relay gold (Dahlia Duhaney, Juliet Cuthbert, Merlene Ottey and Beverly McDonald).

4 x 100 metres relay final:
1. Jamaica 41.94
2. Soviet Union 42.20
3. Germany 42.33
4. Nigeria  42.77
5. France  43.34
6. Cuba 43.75
7. Italy  43.76
8. Australia 43.79

Katrin Krabbe was later that year (1991) found guilty in cheating with a drug test and she was expelled from track and field for two years, which in practice ended her career, while she still was only in the beginning of her twenties.

The World Championships Stuttgart 1993

After the disappointment in the Tokyo 1991 world championships and the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, everyone thought that now was the time for Merlene Ottey to win the gold medal at the 100 metre distance - the medal that still was lacking from her enormous medal collection. And Merlene Ottey came as close as she ever was!!!

She ran 10.87 seconds in the semifinal together with Gwen Torrence, but in the final she was up against Olympic champion Gail Devers of the USA. Devers was ahead from the start of the final, but Ottey ran a fantastic last 10 metres and finished just alongside Devers. Devers ran 10.81 seconds and Ottey 10.82 seconds. Jamaica filed a protest against the result. Later that night - after scutinizing the photo - IAAF officials decided that both Devers and Ottey ran in 10.82 seconds, but Devers was the winner. At the medal ceremony Ottey were given the silver medal, but the crowd at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion gave her 1˝ minute standing ovations.

To the right: Ottey and Devers waiting for the result in anxiety

100 metre final (wind speed -0.3):
1. Gail Devers 10.82 sec. (CR)
2. Merlene Ottey 10.82 sec. (CR)
3. Gwen Torrence 10.89 sec.
4. Irina Privalova 10.96 sec.
5. Mary Onyali 11.05 sec.
6. Natalia Voronova 11.20
7. Nicole Mitchell 11.20 sec.
8. Liliana Allen 11.23 sec.

After the defeat over 100 metres everyone thought that now was finally the time for Ottey to take an indidual gold medal. And she did it! Ottey opened the final very fast and had a great lead coming in to the home straight, but then her run started to slow off, her arms moved strangely in the air and Gwen Torrence came closer and closer. But Ottey held off the competitors and won. Afterwards she looked more reliefed than joyful. But later at the medal ceremony the fantastic crowd cheered for her for about 3 minutes.

Merlene Ottey World Championships 1995-1999

The World Championships Gothenburg 1995

Gwen Torrence was in great form for the World Championships and she won gold over 100 metres. But for once Merlene Ottey was lucky and got the gold medal in the 200 metre final - though only after lots of drama.

In the 200 metre final Torrence ran an amazing 21.77 seconds into over 2 mps head wind, but in the curve she stepped on the line of the lane inside her and according to the rules she was rightfully disqualified. Ottey came 2nd in 22.12 seconds - exactly the same time as Irina Privalova, but Ottey got the gold after a photofinish. After Torrence's disqualification Galina Malchugina (22.37 sec.) came from the disappointing fourth place to get a bronze medal.

100 metre final (wind speed +0.9):
1. Gwen Torrence USA 10.85 sec.
2. Merlene Ottey JAM 10.94 sec.
3. Irina Privalova RUS 10.96 sec.
4. Carlette Guidry USA 11.07 sec.
5. Zhanna Pintusevich UKR 11.07 sec.
6. Melanie Paschke GER 11.10 sec.
7. Mary Onyali NGR 11.15 sec.
8. Juliet Cuthbert JAM 11.44 sec.

4 x 100 metre relay final:
1. USA 42.12 sec.
2. Jamaica 42.25 sec.
3. Germany 43.01 sec.
4. Bahamas 43.14 sec.
5. France 43.35 sec.
6. Finland 44.46 sec.
7. Columbia 44.61 sec.
    Russia DNF

200 metre final (wind speed -2.2):
1. Merlene Ottey 22.12 sec.
2. Irina Privalova 22.12 sec.
3. Galina Malchugina 22.37 sec.
4. Melanie Paschke 22.60 sec.
5. Silke Knoll 22.66 sec.
6. Mary Onyali 22.71 sec.
7. Marina Trandenkova 22.84 sec.
8. Gwen Torrence DQ

Left: Torrence winning the 200 metres (ahead of Privalova & Ottey) before getting disqualified.

The World Championships Athens 1997

Merlene Ottey had been "knocked out" and was not feeling well at the beginning of the season - a season which she opened with her slowest 100 metre time in years (11.59 seconds). Therefore she decided to concentrate on the 100 metre for the World Championship, because she had never won a gold medal at that distance. Though once again it seemed that another newcommer should be in Ottey's way, namely 21 year old American Marion Jones. And the 100 metre final turned out to be a nightmare for Ottey. Really concentrating her start, Ottey failed to hear the second shot when Fynes of Bahamas had made false start:

Merlene walking back to the start line after failing
to hear the shot for the false start.

100 metre final (wind speed +0.4):
1. Marion Jones 10.83 sec.
2. Zhanna Pintusevich 10.85 sec.
3. Sevatheda Fynes 11.03 sec.
4. Christine Arron 11.05 sec.
5. Inger Miller 11.18 sec.
6. Melanie Paschke 11.19 sec.
7. Merlene Ottey 11.29 sec.
8. Chryste Gaines 11.32 sec.

Ottey ran 50 metres for full speed before realizing she was the only one on the track. Walking back to the starting blocks she was well aware that she had lost the chance of gold.

Instead Marion Jones won the gold ahead of Zhanna Pintusevich. In disappointment Ottey slowed down and almost stopped running after 80 metres – actually giving the bronze medal to the woman that made the false start: Sevatheda Fynes. 

The three 100 metre medalists (Pintusevich, Fynes and Jones) crossing the finishline.

Ottey had not had time to practice much over 200 metres in the 1997 season. She came to the Champs with a seasons best time of 22.47 seconds – a time which she improved in the semifinal to 22.26 seconds. The gold medal was won by Zhanna Pintusevich of the Ukraine in the slowest time in a 200 metre final since 1976. 

200 metre final (wind speed ?):
1. Zhanna Pintusevich (UKR) 22.32 sec.
2. Susanthika Jayasinghe (SRI) 22.39 sec.
3. Merlene Ottey (JAM) 22.40 sec.
4. Yekaterina Leshchova (RUS) 22.50 sec.
5. Inger Miller (USA) 22.52 sec.
6. Marina Trandenkova (RUS) 22.69 sec.
7. Melinda Gainsford-Taylor (AUS) 22.70 sec.
8. Sylvianne Felix (FRA) 22.81 sec.

4 x 100 metre relay final:
1. United States 41.47 seconds
    (Gaines, Jones, Miller, Devers) 
2. Jamaica 42.10 seconds
     (McDonald, Frazer, Cuthbert, Grant)
3. France 42.21 seconds
     (Girard, Arron, Combe, Félix) 
4. Germany 42.44 seconds
    (Paschke, Möller, Rockmeier, Philipp)
5. Russia 42.50 seconds
  (Povtareva,Malchugina,Trandenkova,Leshchova)
6. Bahamas 42.77 seconds
     (Clarke, Fynes, Ferguson, Davis) 
7. Nigeria 43.27 seconds
     (Otondu-Okoye, Ojokolo, Atede, Ajunwa) 
8. China 43.32 seconds 
     (Fang, Jiankui, Xiaomei, Xuemei) 

The World Championships Sevilla 1999

Though she had qualified and was well-prepared for the championships Merlene Ottey did not participate. Two days before the championships, it was announced that she had tested positive for the drug, nandrolone, at an athletics meeting in Luzern earlier in the season.

The three medalists in the 100 metres final
(Inger Miller, Marion Jones, Ekaterini Thánou)

100 metre final (wind speed -0.1):
1. Marion Jones 10.70 sec. CR
2. Inger Miller 10.79 sec.
3. Ekatarini Thánou 10.84 sec.
4. Zhanna Pintusevich 10.95 sec.
5. Gail Devers 10.95 sec.
6. Christine Arron 10.97 sec.
7. Chandra Sturrup 11.06 sec.
8. Mercy Nku 11.16 sec.

200 metre final (wind speed +0.6):
1. Inger Miller 21.77 sec.
2. Beverly McDonald 22.22 sec.
3. Merlene Frazer 22.26 sec.
3. Andrea Phillip 22.26 sec.
5. Debbie Ferguson 22.28 sec.
6. Fatima Yusuf 22.42 sec.
7. Lauren Hewitt 22.53 sec.
8. Juliet Campell 22.64 sec.

Marion Jones came to Sevilla hoping to win four golds. She won a very fast 100 metre final with no less than six women under 11 seconds. But Jones was injured in the 200 metre semifinal. So no more dreams of gold for Jones, though she would have had great difficulties beating great running Inger Miller in the final anyway. Miller set four personal records during the championships and won the 200 metre final in 21.77 seconds. After the final she showed tremendous happiness (see photo). The IAAF decided to give two bronze medals (to Frazer and Phillip) - rather peculiar when they decided NOT to give Merlene Ottey a second gold medal after the 100 metre final at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart.

The Bahamian team was a surprise winner of the gold medal in the short relay - with USA finishing as far back as fourth after Gail Devers was passed on the last leg by both Christine Arron (France) and Peta-Gaye Dowdie (Jamaica).

The photo above shows the finish of the womens 4 x 100 metre relay with Debbie Ferguson winning the gold for Bahamas ahead of Arron, France.

4 x 100 metre relay final:
1. Bahamas 41.92 sec.
    (Fynes, Sturrup, Davis, Ferguson)
2. France 42.06 sec.
    (Girard, Hurtis, Benth, Arron)
3. Jamaica 42.15 sec.
    (Bailey, Frazer, McDonald, Dowdie)
4. USA 42.30 sec.
    (Taplin, Perry, Miller, Devers)
5. Germany 42.63 sec.
6. Canada 43.39 sec.
7. Poland 43.51 sec.
8. GreatBritain & NorthernIreland 43.52 sec.