Calvin Smith

Smith was brought up in Bolton, Mississippi, and attended Sumner Hill High School in Clinton, Mississippi.{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Calvin |last2=Kendall |first2=Kerry |date=2016 |title=It Should Have been Gold - The Silent Runner Speaks|publisher=NDYG Publishing |isbn=978-0-9970888-0-9}}

Smith had a dazzling collegiate career at the University of Alabama. Smith set the 100 metre world record on July 3, 1983 at the U.S. Olympic Festival at Colorado Springs, with a run of 9.93 seconds. In doing so, he broke the previous record set by Jim Hines, which had lasted for almost 15 years. Both Hines' and Smith's records were set at high altitude.

At the inaugural Athletics World Championships in 1983, Smith claimed gold medals in the 200 m and the 4 × 100-meters relay (which the U.S. team won in world record time), as well as a silver medal behind Carl Lewis in the 100 meters.

August 1983 also saw Smith become the first athlete to run under 10 seconds (9.97) for the 100 m and under 20 seconds (19.99) for the 200 meters in the same evening in Zürich, Switzerland.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Smith became champion as part of the U.S. 4 × 100-meters relay team, again establishing a new world record in this event.

At the 1987 World Championships, Smith successfully defended his 200-meter title. (At that time, the World Championships were held once every four years, whereas since 1991 they are held every two years.)

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Smith was involved in the most controversial Olympic 100 meters final of all time and ended up in third position (after the initial winner, Ben Johnson, was disqualified: SEE below).

Smith missed out on what seemed like a likely win in the 4 × 100-meters relay in Seoul because the U.S. team did not reach the final following a disqualification for passing the baton outside the legal area.

Smith continued to run for the U.S. national team into the 1990s. In the later years of his career, he was named captain of the U.S. track and field team at major events including the Olympic Games and World Championships.

Ben Johnson of Canada crossed the line first, with Lewis second, Linford Christie of Great Britain third, and Smith fourth. When Johnson tested positive for anabolic steroids and was stripped of his title, Smith was upgraded to third position. Johnson was not the only participant whose success was questioned: Lewis had tested positive at the Olympic Trials for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. Lewis defended himself, claiming that he had accidentally consumed the banned substances. After the supplements that he had taken were analyzed to prove his claims, the USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use, since a dietary supplement he ingested was found to contain "Ma huang", the Chinese name for Ephedra (ephedrine is known to help weight loss). Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason.{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/scorecard/news/2003/04/15/sc/ |title=Scorecard |publisher=Sports Illustrated |access-date=October 10, 2012 |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019021717/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/scorecard/news/2003/04/15/sc/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/17/1050172709693.html |title=Carl Lewis's positive test covered up |publisher=Smh.com.au |date=April 18, 2003 |access-date=April 11, 2012}}

The highest level of the stimulants Lewis recorded was 6 ppm, which was regarded as a positive test in 1988 but is now regarded as negative test. The acceptable level has been raised to ten parts per million for ephedrine and twenty-five parts per million for other substances.Wallechinsky and Loucky, The Complete Book of the Olympics (2012 edition), page 61 According to the IOC rules at the time, positive tests with levels lower than 10 ppm were cause of further investigation but not immediate ban. Neal Benowitz, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco who is an expert on ephedrine and other stimulants, agreed that "These [levels] are what you'd see from someone taking cold or allergy medicines and are unlikely to have any effect on performance."

Christie was found to have metabolites of pseudoephedrine in his urine after a 200 m heat at the same Olympics, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.{{cite web|url=http://sport.guardian.co.uk/athletics/comment/0,10083,939276,00.html |title=The dirtiest race in history Olympic 100m final, 1988 |author=Duncan Mackay |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |date=April 18, 2003 |access-date=October 14, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/411951.stm |title=Sport | Christie suspended after drugs shock |publisher=BBC News |date=1999-08-04 |accessdate=2022-07-18}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/sports/othersports/03track.html |title=Gold Medalist Listed as Banned-Drug User - The New York Times |work=The New York Times |date=2008-05-03 |accessdate=2022-07-18}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay |title=Lewis: 'Who cares I failed drug test?' | Athletics |work=The Guardian |date= 24 April 2003|accessdate=2022-07-18|last1=MacKay |first1=Duncan }} Of the finalists, only Smith and sixth-placed Robson da Silva never failed a drug test during their careers. Smith later said: "I should have been the gold medalist."{{cite news| url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1270863,00.html |work=The Observer Sport Monthly |location=London |title=The most corrupt race ever |access-date=2010-04-29}}{{cite news |author=Duncan Mackay |title=Lewis: 'Who cares if I tested positive' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay |date=April 23, 2003 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Calvin |title=It Should Have Been Gold: The Silent Runner Speaks. |publisher=Publishing Poinciana |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-9970888-0-9 |language=en}}

Smith is married to Melanie, whom he met at college, and has two children, a daughter Brittney and a son Calvin Smith Jr.

Smith retired from athletics in 1996 and was then for two years an assistant coach at the University of Alabama. He then moved with his family to Tampa, Florida where he has pursued a variety of careers. He is currently working for a non-profit agency that provides people with medical assistance.

Smith's 19.99 run, made him the second man in history to achieve both a sub-10 second 100 m and a sub-20 second 200 m. Carl Lewis having achieved the feat 66 days earlier.

• All information taken from IAAF Profile.{{cite web |title=Smith, Calvin biography |publisher=IAAF|url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/letter=0/athcode=2696/index.html |access-date=2009-02-05}}

Smith was ranked among the best in the USA and the world in both the 100 and 200 m sprint events from 1980 to 1993, according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News.{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/01-m100Rank.pdf|title=World Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/01-m100RankUS.pdf|title=U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/02-m200Rank.pdf|title=World Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/02-m200RankUS.pdf|title=U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters|publisher=Track and Field News}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

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Smith achieved the following world records and world best times during his illustrious career:Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 521-522.

• world record of 9.93 s at the United States Air Force Academy on 3 July 1983.
• world low-altitude best time of 9.97 s in Zürich on 24 August 1983.
• world record at the 4 × 100 m relay in Helsinki on 10 August 1983.
• world record in the 4 × 100 m relay in Los Angeles on 11 August 1984.

As of September 2024, Smith holds the following track records for 100 metres.

In 2007, Smith was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame.{{cite web |publisher=USA Track & Field|url=http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=226|access-date=2018-02-16|title=Calvin Smith}}

In 2014, Smith was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web|publisher=Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum|url=http://msfame.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/calvin-smith/|access-date=2018-02-16|title=Calvin Smith|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227034532/http://msfame.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/calvin-smith/|archive-date=2018-02-27|url-status=dead}}

In 2016, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web |publisher=Alabama Crimson Tide|url=http://www.rolltide.com/news/2016/1/11/Former_Track_amp_Field_Standout_Calvin_Smith_Among_Newly_Elected_Inductees_for_the_Alabama_Sports_Hall_of_Fame_.aspx|date=2016-01-11|title=Former Track & Field Standout Calvin Smith Among Newly Elected Inductees for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame}}

• Men's 100 metres world record progression

{{Reflist}}

• {{World Athletics}}
• {{USATF|id=Calvin-Smith}}
• {{USATF Hall of Fame|id=226}}
• [http://run-down.com/guests/jc_calvin_smith.php Calvin Smith] at Run-Down.com

{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Men|1984}}

{{Footer World Champions 4 x 100 m Men|1983}}

{{Footer World Champions 200 m Men}}

{{Footer Universiade Champions 4x100 m Men}}

{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 4x100 m Men}}

{{Footer US NC 200m Men}}

{{Footer USA Track & Field 1984 Summer Olympics}}

{{Footer USA Track & Field 1988 Summer Olympics}}

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Category:1961 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Bolton, Mississippi

Category:Track and field athletes from Mississippi

Category:American male sprinters

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field

Category:University of Alabama alumni

Category:Alabama Crimson Tide men's track and field athletes

Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)

Category:World Athletics Championships medalists

Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States

Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)

Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States

Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States

Category:World Athletics Championships winners

Category:Medalists at the 1981 Summer Universiade

Category:20th-century American sportsmen