Gail Devers
Gail Devers ( Yolanda Gail Devers, born November 19, 1966 in Seattle, Washington) is a former track and field athlete from the United States.
Devers was a promising medal hopes at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, but then she got health problems. She suffered from severe migraines, among other things and lost partial vision. Although she qualified for the 100 - meter hurdles, but only got to the semifinals. Her health deteriorated rapidly. In 1990 she was diagnosed with Graves' disease and Devers began radiation therapy.
Devers recovered quickly and started training again. At the 1991 World Championships, she won silver in the 100 meters hurdles. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona Devers won the 100 -meter run extremely scarce before the Jamaican Juliet Cuthbert. In its actually stronger discipline, the 100m hurdles, she led until just before the end, but stumbled at the last hurdle and came in fifth goal. At the World Championships in 1993 Devers won both the 100 meters and the 100 meters hurdles. The hurdles world title she successfully defended in 1995.
The 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta ran for Devers almost exactly the same as four years earlier. In the 100 meters race, she sat down again in a photo finish by (this time in front of Merlene Ottey ). In their actual parade discipline 100 meters hurdles they missed again a medal and finished fourth. With the 4x100 m relay Devers won a second gold medal.
After that, Devers concentrated on the hurdles and won again in 1999 the world title. At the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 she had to give injured before the semi finals. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, she wanted to once again win a medal in the 100 m and 100 m hurdles, but failed each in the heats.
Her trademark belonged particular extremely long and colorful fingernails.