Leroy Burrell

Leroy Burrell Russell ( born February 21, 1967 in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania ) is a former American track and field athlete and Olympic champion.

A poor eyesight due to an eye injury in childhood, made ​​many sports for him impossible, but in his youth he was an amazing runner. He studied at the University of Houston and successfully took part in the athletics program. Burrell was plagued throughout his athletic career by injuries and unlucky.

In June 1991, he set a world record of 9.90 s in the 100 meters, but was broken within one month of Carl Lewis. In 1994, he presented with 9.85 s again a world record, which this time until 1996 was valid. At the World Athletics Championships 1991 in Tokyo, he won the silver medal in the 100 - meter race and the gold medal in the 4 - × 100 - m relay.

At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona he had a false start in the 100 meters first. In the second start his reaction remained on the track, and he was too slow off the starting blocks to still have a chance at a medal. In the 4 x 100 - meter relay team, he won the gold medal along with his teammates Michael Marsh, Dennis Mitchell and Carl Lewis, before the teams from Nigeria and Cuba. At the World Championships in Stuttgart in 1993, he took part only in the relay. With this, he achieved a world record in the semifinals and won the gold medal.

After retiring from active competition Burrell has his old college mentor, Tom Tellez replaced as coach successor to the athletics teams of the university. In 1994 he married the sprinter Michelle Finn. With her and the common three sons, he lives in Houston.