Despite her public perception as a volatile, angry person, Gwen Torrence has shown in the past that she can handle her victories and defeats with the grace of a true champion.
Just a 11.92 sprinter in high school, Torrence blossomed in her four year at University of Georgia. She made it to the NCAA 100 final every season; her senior year, she won a 100/200 double. By that time, she already established herself as a world-class contender. At the World Championships in Rome, she clocked 11.09 and 22.40 and finished 6th in the 200. The next year she impressed with a 10.97/22.17 double, finishing 4th in both events. But instead of running on the gold-medal winning 4×100 relay, she flew home in anger after her coach told her she wasn’t prepared to run.
In November of 1989, she and her coach/husband Manley Walker – a 10.26 sprinter himself – had a son, Manley. 1989 and 1990 were the only years Torrence did not rank in the top 10 in both sprints.
At the Worlds in 1991, Torrance raced to a 11.03/22.09 double to earn two silvers. The gold medalist, Germany’s Katrin Krabbe, was later banned from the sport when she tested possible for steroids.
In the Olympics in 1992, Torrance sprinted to a lifetime best 10.86, only to finish fourth. She lashed out, accusing the women who beat her of drug use. A media controversy erupted and Torrence later issued a public apology. She bounced back in the 200 with a ...
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