Alvin Harrison

{{short description|American former track and field athlete (born 1974)}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Alvin Harrison

| image =

| caption = Harrison in 1996

| fullname = Alvin Leonardo Harrison{{cite web|title=Alvin Harrison|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/alvin-harrison-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171642/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ha/alvin-harrison-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 17, 2020|website=sports-reference.com|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=October 11, 2019}}

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|January 20, 1974}}

| birth_place = Orlando, Florida, U.S.

| High School = North Salinas

| height = 6 ft 2 in

| weight = 176 lb

| headercolor = lightsteelblue

| pb = 400 m: 44.09 (Atlanta 1996){{cite web | title=U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS | date=June 20, 1996 | url=https://www.courant.com/1996/06/20/us-olympic-trials/ | work=courant.com }}

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's athletics}}

{{MedalCountry|the {{USA}} }}

{{Medal|Disqualified|2000 Sydney|4 × 400 m relay {{efn|Teammate Antonio Pettigrew later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and the International Olympic Committee disqualified the team.}} }}

}}

Alvin Leonardo Harrison (born January 20, 1974) is an American former track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events. He won a gold medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at both the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Born in Orlando, Florida, Harrison is the twin brother of fellow Olympic medalist Calvin Harrison. A year before their first attempt to make the Olympic team, the twins were living in their Ford Mustang. While Calvin was the star in high school, setting the National High School Record in the 400 meters, it was Alvin who earned the first Olympic spot in 1996 at the 1996 Olympic Trials. While he made the finals in the individual 400 meters, he drew lane one and finished fourth behind Michael Johnson's gold medal performance. But Johnson injured himself setting the world record in the 200 meters. Without their gold medalist and also without world record holder Butch Reynolds, the American team looked vulnerable in the 4 × 400 meters relay. The British team looked to take advantage by going out hard in the lead, however as the second leg of the team, Alvin over took Jamie Baulch on the home stretch to put USA into the lead, a lead they ultimately would not relinquish, giving Alvin a gold medal.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Alvin Harrison and Calvin Harrison made history by becoming the first twins ever to compete and win Olympic gold medals together on the same relay team since the inception of the modern Olympic Games. In the 4 × 400 m relay, Alvin ran the first leg and Calvin ran the third leg. Harrison also authored the book Go to Your Destiny, which debuted on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2001. Alvin Harrison was featured in the United Way of America public service announcement "Performance" commercial.

Alvin Harrison did not compete in the 2004 Olympics due to circumstantial evidence of using a banned substance. In October 2004, he agreed to a four-year suspension with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.{{cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/Antidoping/SanctionedAthletes/2003ResultsManagement_2212.pdf|title=Archived copy|publisher=IAAF|access-date=October 25, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025134051/http://www.iaaf.org/mm/Document/Antidoping/SanctionedAthletes/2003ResultsManagement_2212.pdf|archive-date=October 25, 2012}} In 2008, the 2000 Sydney Olympics 4 × 400 metres relay US team was stripped of their medals after team member Antonio Pettigrew admitted that he had used performance-enhancing drugs.{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/02/china.olympics/index.html|title=Pollution, Internet, doping dominate Olympics lead-up|website=CNN |access-date=October 11, 2019|agency=CNN|date=August 2, 2008}}

After his suspension expired in late 2008, Harrison enjoyed a late career renaissance via a transfer of allegiance to the Dominican Republic in 2008. He made the move following discussion with his wife and his track colleague Félix Sánchez, both of whom are Dominican.{{cite news|author=Graham, Pat|date=August 18, 2009|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2009-08-18-3526027641_x.htm|title=Alvin Harrison sprinting for Dominican Republic|work=USA Today|access-date=October 11, 2019}} He competed for his new country at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, running in the heats of the 400 m race. He made his second world appearance soon after and helped the Dominican 4 × 400-meter relay team to fourth place at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships.Arcoleo, Laura (March 14, 2010). [https://www.iaaf.org/news/report/event-report-mens-4x400-metres-relay-final EVENT REPORT – MEN's 4x400 Metres Relay Final]. IAAF. Retrieved October 11, 2019. The Athletics Federation of the Dominican Republic chose Harrison as inaugural head of its high performance Olympic development program, whose first success was Luguelín Santos, silver medalist in the 2012 Olympic 400 metres at age 18. Harrison's role was recognised with an honorary master's degree in exercise science. He has also worked in high-performance programs in the NFL and NBA.