View source for Ato Boldon

{{Short description|Trinidadian Olympic sprinter and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Ato Jabari Boldon
|honorific-suffix=[[OLY]]<ref>[https://www.aipsmedia.com/aips/pages/articles/2017/21983.html More than 1000 Olympians register for OLY]{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} - website of the {{Interlanguage link multi|Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive|fr}} (International Sports Press Association)</ref>
| image = Ato Boldon Sydney 2000.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Boldon at the Sydney 2000 Olympics
|birth_name=Ato Jabari Boldon
| nationality = [[Trinidadian]]
|residence=[[Florida]], [[United States]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1973|12|30}}
| birth_place = [[Port of Spain]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
|office = Member of the [[Senate (Trinidad and Tobago)|Senate of Trinidad and Tobago]]
|term_start=14 February 2006
|term_end = 23 April 2007
|party=[[United National Congress]]
|predecessor=Roy Augustus
|successor=Ronald Phillip<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ttparliament.org/members.php?mid=26&pid=6&id=RPH01|title = Trinidad and Tobago Parliament}}</ref>
|module={{Infobox sportsperson| embed = yes
| sport = [[Sprinting]]
| event =[[100 metres]], [[200 metres]]
| residence =
| collegeteam = [[UCLA Bruins|UCLA]]
| height = 176&nbsp;cm
| weight = 75&nbsp;kg
| pb =
'''100&nbsp;m''': 9.86 s (Lausanne 1999)<br />
'''200&nbsp;m''': 19.77 s (Stuttgart 1997)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{TRI}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|100 m]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics|100 m]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics|200 m]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|200 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold |[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 Athens]]| 200 m}}
{{MedalSilver |[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 Edmonton]]| 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay}}
{{MedalBronze |[[1995 World Championships in Athletics|1995 Gothenburg]]| 100 m}}
{{MedalBronze |[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 Edmonton]]| 100 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2003 Pan American Games|2003 Santo Domingo]]|4 × 100&nbsp;m relay}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games|1998 Kuala Lumpur]] | 100 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Goodwill Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games|1998 New York City]] | 200 m}}
{{MedalSilver | [[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games|1998 New York City]] | 100 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics|1992 Seoul]] | 100 m}}
{{MedalGold | [[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics|1992 Seoul]] | 200 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|CAC Junior Championships]] (U20)}}
{{MedalGold |[[1992 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|1992 Tegucigalpa]] | 100 m}}
{{MedalGold |[[1992 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics|1992 Tegucigalpa]] | 200 m}}
}}
}}
'''Ato Jabari Boldon''' (born 30 December 1973) is a Trinidadian former [[track and field]] athlete, politician, and four-time [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] medal winner. He holds the Trinidad and Tobago [[List of Trinidad and Tobago records in athletics|national record]] in the [[50 metres|50]], [[60 metres|60]] and [[200 metres]] events with times of 5.64, 6.49 and 19.77&nbsp;seconds respectively, and also the [[List of Commonwealth Games records in athletics|Commonwealth Games record]] in the 100&nbsp;m. He also held the 100 m national record at 9.86 s, having run it four times until [[Richard Thompson (sprinter)|Richard Thompson]] ran 9.85 s on 13 August 2011.

After retiring from his track career, Boldon was an [[Opposition (parliamentary)|Opposition]] [[Senate of Trinidad and Tobago|Senator]] in the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament, representing the [[United National Congress]] from 2006 to 2007. Boldon works as an [[NBC Sports]] television broadcast analyst for track and field.

==Career==
===Early life and junior career===
Boldon was born in [[Port of Spain]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]] to a [[Jamaicans|Jamaican]] mother, and [[Trinidadians|Trinidadian]] father, Hope and Guy Boldon. He attended [[Fatima College]] (secondary school) in Trinidad before leaving for the [[United States]] at age fourteen. In December 1989, as a soccer player at [[Jamaica High School (New York City)|Jamaica High School]] in [[Queens, New York|Queens]], [[New York City]], head track and field coach Joe Trupiano noticed his sprinting abilities during a soccer practice session.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Otterman|first1=Sharon|title=Jamaica High May Close, but Memories Will Live On|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/nyregion/24jamaica.html|access-date=18 July 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=22 January 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Longman|first1=Jere|title=TRACK & FIELD; Sprinter Is Breaking More Than Just Paper|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/29/sports/track-field-sprinter-is-breaking-more-than-just-paper.html|access-date=18 July 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=29 May 1996}}</ref>

In his first track season at age 16, Boldon finished with 21.20&nbsp;seconds in the [[200 metres]] and 48.40&nbsp;seconds in the [[400 metres]], recording a double win at the Queens County Championships in 1990, and earning [[Most valuable player|MVP]] honours. After transferring for his final year from Jamaica High to [[Piedmont Hills High School]] in [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], California, Boldon was selected to the San Jose Mercury News' Santa Clara all-county soccer team. He also continued to sprint, placing third in the 200&nbsp;m at the [[CIF California State Meet]] in 1991. Athletics became his primary focus and he won the Junior Olympic Title that summer in [[Durham, North Carolina|Durham]], North Carolina, in 200&nbsp;m.

At 18, Boldon represented [[Trinidad and Tobago]] at [[100 metres]] and 200&nbsp;m in the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]] but did not qualify in the first round of either event. Boldon returned to the junior circuit, winning the 100&nbsp;m and 200&nbsp;m titles at the [[IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics]] in [[Seoul, South Korea]] to become the first double sprint champion in World Junior Championships history.

Boldon was also an [[NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship|NCAA Champion]] while enrolled as a [[sociology]] major at the [[UCLA|University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)]] in 1995 in the 200&nbsp;m. In 1996, he secured an NCAA 100&nbsp;m Championship in [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]], Oregon in the final race of his collegiate career, setting an NCAA meet record of 9.92.<ref>{{cite web |title=Outdoor Track and Field - Division I Men's |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/track_outdoor_champs_records/2006/MD1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225062313/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/track_outdoor_champs_records/2006/MD1.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-25 |url-status=live |publisher=NCAA |date=2006}}</ref> Boldon also held the collegiate 100&nbsp;m record with 9.90&nbsp;s from 1996 until it was broken by [[Travis Padgett]], who ran 9.89 s, in 2008. [[Ngonidzashe Makusha]] later equalled this record at the 2011 NCAA Championships in [[Des Moines]], [[Iowa]].<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/WIM09/news/newsid=48935.html Padgett leads Millrose Games 60m field]. [[IAAF]] (17 January 2009). Retrieved on 26 January 2009.</ref>

===Senior athletics===
Boldon won his first international senior-level medal at the [[1995 World Championships in Athletics|1995 World Championships]], taking home the bronze in the 100&nbsp;m. At the time, he was the youngest athlete ever at 21 years of age to win a medal in that event. The following year at the [[1996 Summer Olympics]], he again placed third in the 100&nbsp;m and 200&nbsp;m events, both behind world records. In 1997, he won the 200&nbsp;m at the [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in [[Athens]], [[Greece]]; his country's first world title in the Athletics World Championships. This made him one of only a few male sprinters to win both a World Junior and World Senior title.

The following year saw Boldon reaching the peak of his career, setting a new personal best and national record of 9.86&nbsp;s in the 100&nbsp;m at the [[Mt. SAC Relays]] in [[Walnut, California|Walnut]], California on 19 April and repeating the feat in [[Athens]] on 17 June.<ref name=IAAF/> He picked up gold in the 100&nbsp;m at the [[1998 Commonwealth Games]] held in [[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]], setting a record time of 9.88&nbsp;s, beating [[Namibia]]'s [[Frankie Fredericks]] (9.96&nbsp;s) and [[Barbados]]' [[Obadele Thompson]] (10.00&nbsp;s). The Commonwealth Games 100&nbsp;m record remains unbroken.<ref>[http://www.commonwealth-of-nations.org/xstandard/470-471.pdf Commonwealth Games Athletics Records]. Commonwealth of Nations. Retrieved on 26 January 2009.</ref>

In 1999, Boldon ran 9.86&nbsp;s twice in the 100&nbsp;m before sustaining a serious hamstring injury which forced him to miss the World Championships in Seville – the only championship he missed in his career due to injury.

A silver medal in the 100&nbsp;m and a bronze in the 200&nbsp;m were Boldon's results of the [[2000 Summer Olympics]], which was a personal victory, considering his comeback from a career-threatening injury the year before. This win made him the most successful individual Olympic medallist from [[Trinidad and Tobago]] with four Olympic medals.

In 2001, Boldon tested positive at an early-season relay meet for the stimulant [[ephedrine]], and was given a warning, but was not suspended or sanctioned, since ephedrine is a substance found in many over the counter remedies, and Boldon had been treating a cold. "It is in no way something where the blame is laid on the athlete," said [[IAAF]] General Secretary [[István Gyulai]] of the positive result.

Also in 2001, at the [[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships in Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], [[Canada]], Boldon finished fourth and out of the medals in the 100&nbsp;m with 9.98&nbsp;s, and then ran the second leg of his country's [[4 × 100 metres relay]], finishing third in the finals. This was [[Trinidad and Tobago]]'s first 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay medal in either World or Olympic competition and Boldon states that making national history with this team of young men (the average age of his teammates was 19) was his greatest accomplishment in his career. The colours of his [[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 World Championship]] medals would change in 2005 as both his placings were improved – he received bronze in the 100&nbsp;m and the bronze relay medals were upgraded to silver after all the times and performances of the American sprinter [[Tim Montgomery]] (who was second in the 100&nbsp;m and won the 4 × 100&nbsp;m with the US team) were nullified due to serious doping violations. That brought Boldon's career total to four World Championship medals, to match his four Olympic medals.

Boldon was seriously injured in a head-on crash with a drunk driver in [[Barataria, Trinidad and Tobago]], in July 2002, and never again ran sub-ten seconds in the 100&nbsp;m or sub-twenty seconds for 200&nbsp;m, something he had done on 37 separate occasions prior to 2002. In 2006, a judge in Trinidad found that Boldon was not at fault in that accident, and he was paid substantial damages as a result. That accident left Boldon with a serious hip injury, and he was a shadow of his former self as a sprinter. In 2004 at the [[2004 Summer Olympics|Athens Olympic Games]], he failed to advance out of the first round of the 100&nbsp;m heats but captained his country's 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay team to their first-ever Olympic final, where they finished seventh.

Boldon is the eighth person to win a medal for [[Trinidad and Tobago at the Olympics]] and currently has the third most wind-legal sub-10 second 100&nbsp;m performances in history with 28, behind former training partner [[Maurice Greene (athlete)|Maurice Greene]], who has 52, and Jamaica's former 100&nbsp;m World Record holder [[Asafa Powell]], who leads with 97.

On 20 April 2008 ''[[The Observer]]'' published the contents of a letter believed to be by Boldon to [[John Smith (sprinter)|John Smith]], his former coach, accusing Smith, [[Maurice Greene (athlete)|Maurice Greene]] of betraying him by obtaining banned drugs without his knowledge, lying about Greene competing without drugs and damaging his own career.<ref name=Mackay>Mackay, Duncan (20 April 2008). [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/apr/20/athletics.drugsinsport Athletics: Fast and furious] ''[[The Observer]]''. Retrieved on 26 January 2009.</ref> But for a quote on the matter to HellenicAthletes.com, a website he wrote for at the time, Boldon has had no further official comment.<ref name=Galakoutis>Galakoutis, Christopher (15 April 2008). [http://www.hellenicathletes.com/news.php?news_id=422 Maurice Greene: Poster Boy or Pariah?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622154127/http://www.hellenicathletes.com/news.php?news_id=422 |date=22 June 2008 }} ''[[HellenicAthletes.com]]''. Retrieved on 22 April 2009.</ref>

===Broadcasting===
At the [[1999 World Championships in Athletics|1999 World Championships]] in [[Seville]], [[Spain]], Boldon could not compete due to a serious injury. The [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] hired him to do commentary and analysis for their coverage of those Championships. He proved popular with the audience and was invited back as a track-side analyst for the BBC coverage of the [[United States at the Olympics|U.S. Olympic]] Track and Field Trials in 2000, from [[Sacramento]], [[California]].

From 2005 to 2009, Boldon was in the broadcast booth for the US television network [[CBS]] as part of their commentary team for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In June 2007, he made his debut for [[NBC Sports]] as an analyst for the 2007 US National Championships, and he also was an integral part of Versus and NBC's coverage of [[2007 World Championships in Athletics|2007 Osaka World Championships]]. In 2008, he was the sprint analyst at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials and the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] for [[NBC]] Sports.<ref>NBC Television, ''Olympics Evening'', 16 August 2008</ref> Boldon was widely praised for his NBC work by the press, including the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', ''[[USA Today]]'' and ''[[The New York Times]]'' which called him "one of NBC's best analysts, a blend of athletic smarts, charisma, precise analysis and brashness."<ref>Clarey, Christopher (19 August 2008).[http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/19/sports/OLYBOLT.php?page=1 As Usain Bolt resets the rules, experts wonder what the sprinter can't do]. ''[[International Herald Tribune]]''. Retrieved on 19 August 2008.</ref> In 2010, Boldon joined the only U.S. track and field broadcast team he had not previously been a regular part of, ESPN, after the departure of their long-time analyst, Larry Rawson. In 2012, he continued his role as the NBC track and field analyst for the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]. In 2013, for his 2012 London Olympic commentary, Boldon became the first and only track and field broadcaster in US history to be nominated for a Sports Emmy Award. He was nominated in the category of Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst. [[Cris Collinsworth]], his friend and colleague from NBC Sports' Sunday Night Football, eventually won the Emmy, his fifth win in a row. Alongside Tom Feuer, Boldon has served as a game analyst for Track & Field events for the [[Pac-12 Network]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Pac-12 track and field continues this weekend in Pullman|url=http://pac-12.com/article/2014/05/14/pac-12-track-and-field-continues-weekend-pullman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524061033/http://pac-12.com/article/2014/05/14/pac-12-track-and-field-continues-weekend-pullman|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 May 2014|access-date=23 May 2014}}</ref>

In 2017, Boldon joined ''[[NASCAR on NBC]]''{{'s}} broadcast as a features contributor.<ref>{{cite web|agency=[[Associated Press]]|url=http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/06/20/ato-boldon-nascar/|title=Ato Boldon to bring fresh eyes to NASCAR|publisher=[[NBC Sports]]|date=20 June 2017|access-date=10 October 2017}}</ref>

===Politics===
Boldon was sworn in on 14 February 2006 as a [[Senate of Trinidad and Tobago|Senator]] representing the [[Opposition (parliamentary)|Opposition]] [[United National Congress]] following the resignation of former Senator Roy Augustus, who resigned on 13 February in a dispute over the leadership style of then Leader of the Opposition [[Basdeo Panday]]. Boldon resigned on 11 April 2007 after 14 months as a senator, saying he had a role in sports broadcasting,<ref>https://www.searchlight.vc/news/2007/04/13/bolden-leaves-trinidad-senate/ {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2025}}</ref> also citing issues with Panday's leadership ability.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

===Media===
In 2006, Boldon wrote, produced and directed a 73-minute DVD film entitled ''Once in a Lifetime: Boldon in Bahrain'' which documented his voyage with fellow fans and [[Trinidad and Tobago]] nationals to the [[Kingdom of Bahrain]], where the country's soccer team, the [[Soca Warriors]], defeated [[Kingdom of Bahrain|Bahrain]] 1–0 in a playoff to become the smallest country ever to qualify for the [[FIFA World Cup]], qualifying to play at the [[FIFA World Cup 2006|Germany 2006 tournament]].

===Coaching===
Boldon began coaching [[Khalifa St. Fort]] around 2012 and helped her improve her 100&nbsp;m from 12.3 to 11.5 seconds after one month. St. Fort won the silver medal at the [[2015 World Youth Championships in Athletics]] and a bronze in the relay at the [[2015 World Championships in Athletics]].<ref>[http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20150717/news/i-am-khalifa-st-fort-the-future-of-tts-track-and-field In her own words: I am Khalifa St Fort — The future of T&T’s track and field]. ''Trinidad Express'' (20 July 2015). Retrieved on 19 September 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.dyestatfl.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=31488&do=videos&video_id=154737 Khalifa St. Fort Returns From the IAAF World Championships with Bronze 2015]. Dyestatfl (1 September 2015). Retrieved on 19 September 2015.</ref>

==Personal life==

In 2000, Boldon was made a sports ambassador by the [[Trinidad and Tobago|Republic of Trinidad and Tobago]] and given a diplomatic passport. He is widely viewed as one of the all-time leading sportsmen in the history of the [[Caribbean]], as well as one of its most internationally recognizable spokesmen. When Trinidad and Tobago hosted the [[2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship]] in association football, one of the new stadiums constructed for the tournament was located in [[Couva]] and named [[Ato Boldon Stadium]]. Thus Boldon became only the second island sprinter at the time to have a stadium named after him after the 1976 Olympic champion [[Hasely Crawford]] ([[Hasely Crawford Stadium|Hasley Crawford Stadium]] located in the capital [[Port of Spain]]).

Boldon is a qualified pilot, having earned his private pilot's license in August 2005. He is a member of the [[AOPA]], Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association.

==Achievements==
On 4 November 2011, Boldon was inducted into the [[UCLA Bruins#UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame|UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame]].

===Competition record===
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes|class=wikitable style="text-align:center; font-size: 90%"|width=80%}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Representing {{TTO}}
|-
|rowspan = "6"|1992
|rowspan = "2"|[[1992 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics#Male Junior A .28under 20.29|Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-20)]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Tegucigalpa]], [[Honduras]]
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|100 m
|10.4 &nbsp;(0.0&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|200 m
|21.5 &nbsp;(0.1&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics|World Junior Championships]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Seoul]], [[South Korea|Korea]]
|bgcolor="gold" align="center" |1st
|100 m
|[[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|10.30]] &nbsp;(0.0&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|bgcolor="gold" align="center" |1st
|200 m
|[[1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|20.63]] &nbsp;(0.3&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Barcelona]], [[Spain]]
|45th (h)
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|10.77]] &nbsp;(−0.3&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|47th (h)
|200 m
|[[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|21.65]] &nbsp;(0.0&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|rowspan = "3"|1993
|rowspan = "3"|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan = "3"|[[Stuttgart]], [[Germany]]
|25th (qf)
|100 m
|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|10.48]] &nbsp;(−0.1&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|41st (h)
|200 m
|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|21.31]] &nbsp;(−1.2&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|19th (h)
|4 × 100 m
|[[1993 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|40.24]]
|-
|rowspan=2|1994
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|rowspan=2|[[Victoria, British Columbia, Canada]]
|4th
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games – Men's 100 metres|10.07]]
|-
|9th (sf)
|200 m
|[[Athletics at the 1994 Commonwealth Games – Men's 200 metres|20.80]]
|-
|rowspan = "2"|1995
|rowspan = "2"|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Gothenburg]], [[Sweden]]
|bgcolor="cc9966" align="center" |3rd
|100 m
|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|10.03]] &nbsp;(1.0&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|29th (qf)
|200 m
|[[1995 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|21.81]] &nbsp;(−0.1&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|rowspan = "2"|1996
|rowspan = "2"|[[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Atlanta]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|bgcolor="cc9966" align="center" |3rd
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|9.90]] &nbsp;(0.7&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|bgcolor="cc9966" align="center" |3rd
|200 m
|[[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|19.80]] &nbsp;(0.4&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|rowspan = "2"|1997
|rowspan = "2"|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Athens]], [[Greece]]
|5th
|100 m
|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|10.02]] &nbsp;(0.2&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|bgcolor="gold" align="center" |1st
|200 m
|[[1997 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|20.04]] '''w''' &nbsp;(2.3&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|rowspan = "3"|1998
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|[[Kuala Lumpur]], [[Malaysia]]
|bgcolor="gold" align="center" |1st
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games – Men's 100 metres|9.88]] &nbsp;(−0.1&nbsp;m/s) '''GR'''
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games|Goodwill Games]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[New York City]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|bgcolor="silver" align="center" |2nd
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games – Results#100 meters|10.00]]
|-
|bgcolor="gold" align="center" |1st
|200 m
|[[Athletics at the 1998 Goodwill Games – Results#200 meters|20.15]]
|-
|rowspan = "3"|2000
|rowspan = "3"|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan = "3"|[[Sydney]], [[Australia]]
|bgcolor="silver" align="center" |2nd
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|9.99]] &nbsp;(−0.3&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|bgcolor="cc9966" align="center" |3rd
|200 m
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|20.20]] &nbsp;(−0.6&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|11th (sf)
|4 × 100 m
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|38.92]] '''NR'''
|-
|rowspan = "2"|2001
|rowspan = "2"|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Edmonton]], [[Canada]]
|bgcolor="cc9966" align="center" |3rd
|100 m
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|9.98]] &nbsp;(−0.2&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|bgcolor="silver" align="center" |2nd
|4 × 100 m
|[[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|38.58]] '''NR'''
|-
|rowspan = "2"|2003
|rowspan = "2"|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Paris]], [[France]]
|8th (sf)
|100 m
|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|10.22]] &nbsp;(0.6&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|10th (sf)
|4 × 100 m
|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|38.84]]
|-
|2003
|[[Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games|Pan American Games]]
|[[Santo Domingo]], [[Dominican Republic]]
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|4 × 100 m
|[[Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|38.53]]
|-
|rowspan = "2"|2004
|rowspan = "2"|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|rowspan = "2"|[[Athens]], [[Greece]]
|44th (h)
|100 m
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|10.41]] &nbsp;(−1.1&nbsp;m/s)
|-
|7th
|4 × 100 m
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|38.60]]
|}

===Personal bests===
{| class="wikitable" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
!Date
!Event
!Venue
!Time (seconds)
|-
|16 February 2000
|[[50 metres]]
|[[Madrid]], Spain
|5.64 (National record)
|-
|23 February 1997
|[[60 metres]]
|[[Birmingham]], [[United Kingdom]]
|6.49 (National record)
|-
|19 April 1998, 17 June 1998, 16 June 1999, 2 July 1999
|[[100 metres]]
|[[Walnut, California|Walnut]], [[California|CA]], [[Athens]], [[Athens]] & [[Lausanne]]
|9.86 +1.8, −0.4, +0.1 & +0.4 (National record)
|-
|13 July 1997
|[[200 metres]]
|[[Stuttgart]], [[Germany]]
|19.77 (National record)
|}
*<small>All information taken from IAAF profile.</small><ref name=IAAF>[http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/country=TRI/athcode=9066/index.html Biographies: Boldon Ato]. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 26 January 2009.</ref>

===Track records===
As of September 2024, Boldon holds the following track records for 100 metres and 200 metres.

====100 metres====
{| class="wikitable" style= "text-align: center"
|-
!Location
!Time
!Windspeed<br>m/s
!Date
|-
| [[Kuala Lumpur]] || 9.88 || –0.1 || 17 September 1998
|-
| [[Malmö]] || 10.03 || +4.2 || 7 August 2000
|}

====200 metres====
{| class="wikitable" style= "text-align: center"
|-
!Location
!Time
!Windspeed<br>m/s
!Date
|-
| Westwood || 20.00 || +1.0 || 19 May 1996
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ato Boldon}}
*{{World Athletics}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-sports}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Michael Johnson (sprinter)|Michael Johnson]]|title=[[200 metres#Men's Seasons Best|Men's 200 m Best Year Performance]]|years=1997–1998|after=[[Francis Obikwelu]]}}
{{Succession box|before=[[Maurice Greene (athlete)|Maurice Greene]]|title=[[100 metres#Men's Seasons Best|Men's 100 m Best Year Performance]]|years=1998–1999|after=Maurice Greene}}
{{S-sports|oly}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Gene Samuel]]
| title = [[List of flag bearers for Trinidad and Tobago at the Olympics|Flagbearer]] for {{TRI}}
| years = [[2000 Summer Olympics|Sydney 2000]]<br />[[2004 Summer Olympics|Athens 2004]]
| after = [[George Bovell]]
}}
{{S-off}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Roy Augustus]]
| title  = [[Senate of Trinidad and Tobago|Senator of Trinidad and Tobago]]
| years  = 14 February 2006 &ndash; 11 April 2007
| after  =
}}
{{S-end}}

{{Footer World Champions 200 m Men}}
{{Footer Commonwealth Champions 100 metres Men}}
{{Footer World Junior Champions men's 100 metres}}
{{Footer World Junior Champions men's 200 metres}}
{{Footer WBYP 100m Men}}
{{Footer WBYP 200m Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boldon, Ato}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from San Jose, California]]
[[Category:Trinidad and Tobago men sprinters]]
[[Category:20th-century Trinidad and Tobago sportsmen]]
[[Category:Trinidad and Tobago sportsperson-politicians]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:Pan American Games athletes for Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Jamaica High School alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Senate (Trinidad and Tobago)]]
[[Category:United National Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Chaconia Medal]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:People educated at Fatima College]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics]]