Evelyn Ashford (born April 15, 1957 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is an American retired track and field athlete….and the 1984 Olympic champion in the 100-meter dash. She ran under the 11-second barrier over 30 times….becoming the first woman to run under 11 seconds in an Olympic Games. As a 19-year-old, Ashford finished 5th in the 100m event at the 1976 Summer Olympics. After beating the World Record holders in the 100m and 200m in 1979 at the World Cup of Track and Field in Montreal….Ashford was one of the potential medalists for the 1980 Summer Olympics….but these Games were boycotted by the United States. At the 1984 Summer Olympics….Ashford had a chance to win a gold medal in both the 100m and 200m….but had to withdraw from the 200m heats with a minor injury. She competed in the 100m, winning the event in a new Olympic Record of 10.97 secs…..and as the anchor runner for 4 X 100 m relay team…..she won a second gold medal. Even in the absence of World Champions and world record holders East Germany….the US team clocked one of the fastest times in history….and won by the biggest margin ever at an Olympics, 1.12 seconds
Alice Regina Brown (born September 20, 1960) is a retired American sprinter….who was a silver medalist in the 1984 Olympic 100m final in a time of 11.13 seconds. Noted for her fast start, she was the 1st leg runner in two US Olympic 4×100 Relay teams 1984–88, both teams winning the gold. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the individual 100m….Brown and American teammate Jeanette Bolden charged out to the lead….only to be overtaken by world record holder Evelyn Ashford….with Brown clearly taking the silver medal. Later, the U.S. relay team won the gold medal beating Canada by over a second….the greatest winning margin in the event’s history. This was due to a very strong team which included all three U.S sprinters that made the 100m final and Brown’s superb start. The US were clear favorites as the GDR and USSR teams who would have provided stiff competition were absent due to the Eastern Bloc boycott. The team was never seriously challenged, leading from gun to tape and triumphing with a time of 41.60 seconds, one of the fastest times in history.
