Lillie Leatherwood
Lillie Mae Leatherwood ( born July 6, 1964 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) is a former American track and field athlete and Olympic champion.
Leatherwood breakthrough came in 1984 in the world class. At the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, she reached the 400-meter run, the final and finished in 50.25 seconds for fifth place. She was first leg of the American 4 x 400 - meter relay team that won in the cast Leatherwood, Sherri Howard, Chandra Cheese Borough and Valerie Brisco - Hooks gold and in 3:18,29 minutes while setting a new Olympic record.
1985 Leatherwood won their first of four U.S. Masters titles in the 400 - meter track, 1987, 1988 and 1991, followed by the other titles. 1987 Leatherwood won at the first time officially discharged World Indoor Championships in Indianapolis silver behind Sabine Busch from the GDR. At the 1987 World Championships in Rome Leatherwood finished in 50.82 seconds for fifth place in the individual race, with the relay in the cast Diane Dixon, Denean Howard, Valerie Brisco and Leatherwood, she won bronze in 3:21,04 minutes behind the scales from the GDR and the USSR. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul Leatherwood was only used in the relay forwarding. In the final, Sherri Howard and Lillie Leatherwood had to make way for Valerie Brisco and Florence Griffith Joyner. Since the U.S. squadron reached the second place, the runners used in the run received a silver medal.
After a long break Lillie Leatherwood 1991 returned again to the world class back. At the World Indoor Championships in Seville, she won bronze in the relay behind the squadrons from Germany and the USSR. In the outdoor season, she improved her personal best at the U.S. Championships in 49.66 seconds. At the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, she won the individual race in 51.53 seconds to seventh place after she ran 50.68 seconds in the semifinals. With the season in the cast Rochelle Stevens, Diane Dixon, Jearl Miles and Leatherwood she ran the anchor leg in 3:20,15 minutes in second behind the Soviet Union - final leg finish line.
Lillie Leatherwood was married during her career for a short time with the Sprinter Emmitt King. At a height of 1.68 meters to her competition weight was 56 kilograms. Today Lillie Leatherwood is employed by the police of Tuscaloosa as a sports teacher.