Jan Merrill
Merrill in 1975 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | (1956-06-18) June 18, 1956 (age 67) New London, Connecticut |
Height | 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) |
Weight | 52 kg (115 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | 800–10,000 m |
Club | Connecticut College Age Group Athletes Association |
Coached by | Norm Higgins |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 800 m – 2:02.80 (1977) 1500 m – 4:02.61 (1976) Mile – 4:28.3 (1979) 3000 m – 8:42.6 (1978) 5000 m – 15:30.6 (1980) 10,000 m – 32.03. (1981) |
Janice "Jan" Melbourne Merrill (born June 18, 1956) is a retired American runner. She was the dominant long distance runner of the middle 1970s, a notable front runner, her uniform with the large "M" on her chest would usually break away to an insurmountable lead in domestic meets. She was equally untouchable in self-promotion or dealing with the media, often deferring to her coach, Norm Higgins.[1] At various points in time she held the American record in the 1500 meters (4:02.61 set on July 29, 1976) during the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters.[2] She lost other record opportunities because the only times she could get a decent race in the United States was against men.[1]
She won the U.S. title at 1500 meters twice outdoors,[3] 3000 meters 4 times,[4] twice in the indoor mile,[5] twice in the indoor 2 mile[6] and twice in Cross Country.[7] After retiring from competitions she became a high school and college track coach.[8]
Achievements
Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Extra |
---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the United States | ||||
1976 | Olympic Games | Montreal, Canada | 8th | 1500 m |
1978 | World Cross Country Championships | Glasgow, Scotland | 7th | Long Race Individual |
2nd | Long Race Team | |||
1979 | World Cross Country Championships | Limerick, Ireland | 7th | Long Race Individual |
1st | Long Race Team | |||
1980 | World Cross Country Championships | Paris, France | 5th | Long Race Individual |
3rd | Long Race Team | |||
1981 | World Cross Country Championships | Madrid, Spain | 2nd | Long Race Individual |
2nd | Long Race Team | |||
1983 | World Cross Country Championships | Gateshead, England | 13th | Long Race Individual |
1st | Long Race Team |
References
- ^ a b Verschoth, Anita (February 26, 1979). "She's His Fair Lady". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-04.
- ^ Louise Mead Tricard (1 January 1996). American Women's Track and Field: A History, 1895 Through 1980. McFarland. pp. 646–. ISBN 978-0-7864-0219-9.
- ^ USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 1,500 m Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 3,000 m Archived 2010-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ USA Indoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 1,500 m Archived 2010-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ USA Indoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 3,000 m Archived 2010-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ USA Track & Field – Women. Usatf.org. Retrieved on 2017-09-18.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jan Merrill". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
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- 1975: Jan Merrill (USA)
- 1979: Mary Decker (USA)
- 1983: Ranza Clark (CAN)
- 1987: Linda Sheskey (USA)
- 1991: Alisa Hill (USA)
- 1995: Sarah Thorsett (USA)
- 1999: Marla Runyan (USA)
- 2003: Adriana Muñoz (CUB)
- 2007: Juliana Paula dos Santos (BRA)
- 2011: Adriana Muñoz (CUB)
- 2015: Muriel Coneo (COL)
- 2019: Nikki Hiltz (USA)
- 2023: Joselyn Brea (VEN)
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