Dennis Mitchell

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Dennis Allen Mitchell (born February 20, 1966) is an American former college and international track and field athlete, who was a member of the gold medal-winning team in the 4 × 100 metres relay race at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Athletics career

Mitchell was born in Havelock, North Carolina. Raised in Winslow Township, New Jersey, he graduated in 1984 from Edgewood Regional High School.<ref>Mitchell, John N. "Olympian Mitchell honored", Courier-Post, October 4, 1992. Accessed December 24, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Dennis Mitchell has spent most of his life running faster than most would ever dream possible. But Mitchell, who Saturday returned to the Edgewood track (paved since his 1984 graduation) that gave birth to his career, slowed down long enough to pass on some advice to today's students at his alma mater. 'I like to stress to the kids of today, in these schools and 1 neighborhoods, that they have to stay straight,' said Mitchell, in town to be honored by Winslow Township and to receive a proclamation from Mayor Al Brown proclaiming Saturday Dennis Mitchell Day."</ref>

He received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he ran for the Florida Gators track and field team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Southeastern Conference (SEC) competition from 1986 to 1989. At Florida, Mitchell was coached by Joe Walker. Mitchell placed fourth in the 100 meters race at the 1988 Summer Olympics and missed a probable gold medal in the 4 × 100 meters relay race, because the American team was disqualified in the early heats, after the baton pass between teammates Calvin Smith and Lee McNeill was completed outside the exchange zone. In 1989, Mitchell won the NCAA championships in 200 meters race, and he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2005.<ref>F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 18, 2014.</ref><ref>"Nine Hall of Fame Inductees Announced Template:Webarchive," GatorZone.com (September 30, 2004). Retrieved July 22, 2011.</ref>

In 1991, just a month before the World Championships, Mitchell set his first world record in the 4 × 100 meters relay of 37.67 at Zürich. At the World Championships, Mitchell was again a member of the American 4 × 100 meters relay team, in which he set a new world record of 37.50 in the final. Mitchell also won a bronze medal in the individual 100 meters race, just 0.01 seconds shy of the world record.

In 1992, Mitchell won his first United States National Championships title in the 100 meters (he repeated this victory in 1994 and 1996). At the Barcelona Olympics, Mitchell ran his third world record in 4 × 100 meters relay of 37.40 and won again a bronze medal in the 100 meters race.

At the 1993 World Championships, Mitchell won his third bronze at the international championships in individual 100 meters and his third gold in relay event with a world record, as this time the American team equaled their own world record of 37.40.

Mitchell won a gold medal in 100 meters at the 1994 Goodwill Games, but injured himself in the heats of 100 -meters at the 1995 World Championships. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, Mitchell was fourth in 100-meters and won a silver medal as a member of the second-place U.S. 4 × 100-meters relay team.

His personal best for the 100 metres was 9.91 seconds, set in Tokyo on 25 August 1991 in the World Athletics Championships final.

Personal life

Mitchell is married to Damu Cherry-Mitchell, an Olympian in the 100-meter hurdles, and has four children. He coaches his own club, Star Athletics, in Montverde, Florida. He has trained world class athletes including Sha'Carri Richardson, Kenny Bednarek, Justin Gatlin, Aaron Brown, Kaylin Whitney, Javianne Oliver, and Twanisha Terry, among others.

Doping history

In 1998, Mitchell was banned by International Association of Athletics Federations for two years after a test showed high levels of testosterone. They did not accept his defense of "five bottles of beer and sex with his wife at least four times... it was her birthday, the lady deserved a treat."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mitchell made his final international appearance at the 2001 World Championships, where his team finished first in the 4 × 100 meters relay, but was subsequently disqualified because of BALCO scandal involvement by a teammate.

On May 1, 2008, it was announced that the U.S. government, in its trial against Trevor Graham, would have Mitchell, as well as Antonio Pettigrew as witnesses, with Mitchell to testify that Graham injected him with human growth hormone.<ref name="government-witness">Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• Florida Gators
• List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
• List of University of Florida Olympians
• List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members

External links

• Masters T&F 100 metres Dash All-Time Rankings Template:Webarchive 10.11 (2001)
• Masters T&F 200 metres Dash All-Time Rankings Template:Webarchive 20.45 (2001)