Walter Dix
200 meters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College team | Florida State Seminoles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Club | Unattached | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | 100m: 9.88 s (Nottwil 2010) 200m: 19.53 s (Brussels 2011) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Walter Dix (born January 31, 1986[
Dix was a highly successful amateur athlete, setting a state record in the 100 m and trying out for the US Olympic Team at the age of eighteen. He joined
Dix turned professional in mid-2008, signing a multimillion-dollar contract with Nike. He reached the Olympic finals in the 100 and 200 m, and won two bronze medals; the only American track athlete to win two individual medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He suffered an injury at the 2009 US Championships, thus missing out on the World Championships, and a contract dispute with his agent resulted in only a handful of appearances that season. In 2011 he was both the 100 and 200 m American champion and won silver medals in the events at the 2011 World Championships. An injury at the 2012 Olympic trials meant he missed a second Olympic appearance.
Early life
The son of a
College track athletics
He began attending
At his first NCAA Outdoor Championships, Dix became FSU's first winner at the championships since 1980, and the first to do so as a freshman. He won the 100 m in 10.21 seconds, beating the defending NCAA champions DaBryan Blanton and Tyson Gay to the title.[7] After recording a personal best of 20.18 seconds in the semifinals, he managed a fourth-place finish in the 200 m race.[8] Dix competed at his first US senior championships that year and, as the only amateur to reach the 100 m final, he finished fourth. The only athletes to beat him were Leonard Scott, reigning Olympic Champion Shawn Crawford and the eventual world champion Justin Gatlin.[9]
Multiple NCAA champion
Dix's second year at FSU was characterised by success in the 200 m. He won his first indoor NCAA title in the 200 m and was runner-up in the 60 m, having set a personal best of 6.59 seconds in the heats.[8] His time of 20.27 seconds in the 200 m final was the fastest indoor run in the world that year.[10] His fastest of the season came at the Reebok invitational and his time of 20.25 seconds placed him as the 13th fastest runner in 2006.[8] He completed a 200 m NCAA Championship double by taking the outdoor title, and he also finished as runner-up in the 100 m, second to Xavier Carter.[11]
In his third year as an FSU athlete he won four NCAA Division I titles, starting with a 200 m win indoors.[12] In the 2007 NCAA East Regional final, he won the 100 m dash in 10.05 seconds. His performance in the 200 m was more impressive however: he set the all-time collegiate record of 19.69 seconds in the 200 m, breaking Joe DeLoach's record that had stood since 1988. This made him the sixth fastest 200 m runner ever and it was the seventh fastest run in history at the time.[13]
At the NCAA Outdoor Championships that year, he won three separate national titles, beating all opposition in the 100 m, 200 m, and
In his final year as an amateur athlete, he spent much of early 2008 battling a hamstring injury.[15] However, he returned in April to win his third 200 m NCAA outdoor title, while placing fourth in the 100 m. Although his personal bests rivalled those of top professional athletes, Dix decided to finish his degree in social science at FSU, as his graduation in May 2008 allowed him to focus on the Olympic Trials thereafter.[16]
Over the course of his college career, Dix became only the second athlete to win three NCAA 200 m outdoor titles (after Ralph Metcalfe) and, with six outdoor NCAA titles, he is listed as the joint third on all-time list. Furthermore, he finished with two indoor titles and 18 All-American honors.[3][1]
Professional career
2008 Olympic Games
Competing at the
Competing in his first Olympics, Dix qualified for the
A few days later, he finished fifth in the
Low-key 2009
The year after the Olympics, Dix began the season with a world-leading time of 10.00 seconds in
Return to top level
Dix returned to national competition with an appearance at the 2010
In the first meeting of the
He moved to Southern Ireland in 2012 to train with
Personal life
Walter Dix is the son of Washington and Plinnie Dix. His father, a former sprinter, is an
Personal bests
As of 2019[update], Dix's best in the 200 m outdoors makes him the seventh fastest man of all time, while his indoor best for the distance makes him the seventh fastest.[50][51] His best in the 100 m is the eighth fastest by an American athlete.[52]
Event | Best | Venue | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
55 meters (indoor)
|
6.19 s | Gainesville, Florida | January 13, 2007 | |
60 meters (indoor)
|
6.58 s | Albuquerque, New Mexico
|
February 28, 2010 | |
100 meters
|
9.88 s | Nottwil, Switzerland | August 9, 2010 | |
200 meters
|
19.53 s | Brussels, Belgium | September 16, 2011 | [53] |
200 meters (indoor)
|
20.27 s | Fayetteville, Arkansas | March 10, 2006 | |
Long jump | 7.39 meters | Gainesville, Florida | March 26, 2004 |
- All information from IAAF Profile[54]
Major competition record
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 3rd | 100 m | 9.91 |
3rd | 200 m | 19.98 | |||
2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 2nd | 100 m | 10.08 |
2nd | 200 m | 19.70 |
Circuit wins and national titles
- Diamond League (200 m)
- U.S. Championships
- NCAA Division I Championships
- NCAA Division I Indoor Championships
References
- ^ St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the originalon 2008-07-18. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ "Boys' high school top performers", USA Today, May 20, 2005, retrieved September 19, 2009
- ^ USATF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19. Archived August 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Seminole Track Headed to Arkansas for National Championships Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine. Florida State Seminoles. (2005-03-10). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- NCAA(2005). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- USATF(2005-06-01). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ Dix Crowned National Champion in the 100m Dash Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine. Florida State Seminoles (2005-06-11). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ a b c Florida State University Profile: Walter Dix. Florida State Seminoles. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- USATF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF(2006-11-07). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- NCAA(2006). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- NCAA(2007). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- USATF(2007-05-29). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- USATF(2007-06-12). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ The McClatchy Company. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- USATF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- USATF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- USATF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ a b c d Graham, Pat (2009-06-27). The curious case of American sprinter Walter Dix. USA Today (AP). Retrieved on 2009-09-18.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Walter Dix". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ FSU sprinter Walter Dix wins Olympic bronze in the 100m. Florida State University (2008-08-18). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ DQs elevate two to medal podium in 200m. NBC Olympics/Associated Press (2008-08-20). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ Track leader not happy with U.S. relay debacle. NBC Olympics/Associated Press (2008-08-22). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ Photos: 2008 local Olympians. Hartford Courant (2008-08-05). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF(2009-09-16). Retrieved on 2009-09-18.
- ^ USA vs. the World 4x100. Penn Relays. Retrieved on 2009-09-19. Archived April 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 2009 Prefontaine Classic Event 17 Men 100 Meter Dash Section II. Prefontaine Classic. Retrieved on 2009-09-18.
- ^ Graham, Pat (2009-07-08). Dix, agent resolve contract dispute. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-07-04.
- USATF. Retrieved on 2010-07-04.
- ^ Walter Dix Sets Records In Last Day Of Seminole Twilight Archived 2012-09-17 at archive.today. Florida State Seminoles (2010-05-08). Retrieved on 2010-07-05.
- ^ Chinellato, Davide (2010-06-10). Records crash at Golden Gala Powell and Dix set Rome on fire Archived 2010-06-30 at the Wayback Machine. La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved on 2010-07-05.
- IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-07-05.
- ^ Tyson Gay beaten by Walter Dix at Diamond League meet. BBC Sport (2010-07-03). Retrieved on 2010-07-05.
- ^ Blazing 100m in Nottwil – Carter edges Dix 9.86 to 9.88 (2010-08-09). Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ Diamond League 2011: Walter Dix powers to 200m Doha win (2011-05-06). Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ Julin, A. Lennart (2011-12-29). 2011 End of Year Reviews - Sprints. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
- ^ Walter Dix sprints to 100, 200 wins. ESPN (2011-06-26). Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
- ^ Rowbottom, Mike (2011-08-28). Men's 100m - Final - Blake steals the show as Bolt incredibly false starts. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
- ^ Johnson, Len (2011-09-03). Men's 200m - Final - Bolt blasts to 19.40 victory. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
- ^ Johnson, Len (2011-09-04). Men's 4x100m Relay - Final - 37.04 World record for Jamaica!. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
- ^ Rupp shatters AR as Americans shine in Brussels Diamond League. USATF (2011-09-16). Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
- ^ Lee, Kirby (2012-04-22). World leads by Reese and Aarrass highlight Mt Sac Relays. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-04-22.
- ^ Gordon, Ed (2012-06-25). The men's dash captivates as usual - US Olympic Trials, Day 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-09.
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ Notable Sigmas – Sports. Phi Beta Sigma. Retrieved on 2009-09-19. Archived July 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- IAAF(2009-02-01). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF(2009-09-15). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- IAAF(2009-09-16). Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
- ^ "200m Men: Results" (PDF). Diamond League. Omega Timing. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- IAAF. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
External links
- Walter Dix at World Athletics
- Walter Dix at legacy.USATF.org (archived)
- Walter Dix at DyeStat
- Walter Dix at Florida State Seminoles