View source for Calvin Smith

{{short description|American sprinter}}
{{Other people}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Calvin Smith
| image =Calvin Smith.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| nationality = [[Americans|American]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1961|1|8}}
| birth_place = [[Bolton, Mississippi]]
| height = {{Convert|5|ft|10|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{Convert|152|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| sport = [[Track and field]]
| event = [[Sprint (running)|Sprints]]
| collegeteam = [[Alabama Crimson Tide]]
| pb = {{Unbulleted list
|'''100&nbsp;m''': 9.93 s ([[Colorado Springs]], 1983)
|'''200&nbsp;m''': 19.99 s ([[Letzigrund|Zürich]], 1983)}}
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport| Men's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry| the {{USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition| [[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Los Angeles]] | [[Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]]}}
{{MedalBronze| [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]] | [[Athletics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 100 metres|100 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition| [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1983 World Championships in Athletics|1983 Helsinki]] | [[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|200 m]] }}
{{MedalGold| 1983 Helsinki | [[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]] }}
{{MedalGold| [[1987 World Championships in Athletics|1987 Rome]] | [[1987 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|200 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver| 1983 Helsinki | [[1983 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 100 metres|100 m]] }}
}}
'''Calvin Smith''' (born January 8, 1961) is a former [[Sprint (running)|sprint]] [[track and field]] athlete from the United States. He is a former [[Men's 100 metres world record progression|world record]] holder in the 100-meter sprint with 9.93 seconds in 1983 and was twice [[List of World Championships in Athletics medalists (men)|world champion]] over 200 metres, in 1983 and 1987. He became Olympic champion in the 4 × 100-meter relay in 1984. He was born in [[Bolton, Mississippi]].

== Background ==
Smith was brought up in [[Bolton, Mississippi]], and attended Sumner Hill High School in [[Clinton, Mississippi]].<ref name="csmithbook">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Calvin |last2=Kendall |first2=Kerry |date=2016 |title=It Should Have been Gold - The Silent Runner Speaks|publisher=NDYG Publishing |isbn=978-0-9970888-0-9}}</ref>

Smith had a dazzling collegiate career at the [[University of Alabama]]. Smith set the [[World Record progression 100 m men|100 metre world record]] on July 3, 1983 at the [[U.S. Olympic Festival]] at [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], with a run of 9.93 seconds. In doing so, he broke the previous record set by [[Jim Hines]], which had lasted for almost 15 years. Both Hines' and Smith's records were set at high altitude.

At the inaugural Athletics [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] in 1983, Smith claimed gold medals in the 200 m and the 4 × 100-meters [[relay race|relay]] (which the U.S. team won in world record time), as well as a silver medal behind [[Carl Lewis]] in the 100 meters.

In July 1983, Smith won the first of his two British [[AAA Championships]] titles in the 100 metres event at the [[1982 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref> One month later in August 1983, Smith become the first athlete to [[10-second barrier|run under 10 seconds]] (9.97) for the 100 m and under 20 seconds (19.99) for the 200 meters in the same evening in [[Zürich]], Switzerland. 

At the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles, Smith became champion as part of the U.S. 4 × 100-meters relay team, again establishing a new world record in this event.

At the 1987 World Championships, Smith successfully defended his 200-meter title. (At that time, the World Championships were held once every four years, whereas since 1991 they are held every two years.)

At the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] in Seoul, Smith was involved in the most controversial Olympic 100 meters final of all time and ended up in third position (after the initial winner, Ben Johnson, was disqualified: SEE below).

Smith missed out on what seemed like a likely win in the 4 × 100-meters relay in Seoul because the U.S. team did not reach the final following a disqualification for passing the baton outside the legal area.

Smith continued to run for the U.S. national team into the 1990s. In the later years of his career, he was named captain of the U.S. track and field team at major events including the Olympic Games and World Championships. In 1990, Smith won the his second British AAA Championships titles at the [[1990 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=14 June 2025}}</ref>

===1988 Olympics===
[[Ben Johnson (Canadian sprinter)|Ben Johnson]] of Canada crossed the line first, with Lewis second, [[Linford Christie]] of Great Britain third, and Smith fourth. When Johnson tested positive for [[anabolic steroids]] and was stripped of his title, Smith was upgraded to third position. Johnson was not the only participant whose success was questioned: Lewis had tested positive at the [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic Trials]] for [[pseudoephedrine]], [[ephedrine]] and [[phenylpropanolamine]]. Lewis defended himself, claiming that he had accidentally consumed the banned substances. After the supplements that he had taken were analyzed to prove his claims, the USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use, since a dietary supplement he ingested was found to contain "Ma huang", the Chinese name for [[Ephedra (medicine)|Ephedra]] (ephedrine is known to help weight loss).<ref name=":0" /> Fellow [[Santa Monica Track Club]] teammates [[Joe DeLoach]] and [[Floyd Heard]] were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/scorecard/news/2003/04/15/sc/ |title=Scorecard |publisher=Sports Illustrated |access-date=October 10, 2012 |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019021717/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/scorecard/news/2003/04/15/sc/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/17/1050172709693.html |title=Carl Lewis's positive test covered up |publisher=Smh.com.au |date=April 18, 2003 |access-date=April 11, 2012}}</ref>

The highest level of the stimulants Lewis recorded was 6 ppm, which was regarded as a positive test in 1988.<ref name=":0">Wallechinsky and Loucky, The Complete Book of the Olympics (2012 edition), page 61</ref> According to the IOC rules at the time, positive tests with levels lower than 10 ppm were cause of further investigation but not immediate ban. Neal Benowitz, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco who is an expert on ephedrine and other stimulants, agreed that "These [levels] are what you'd see from someone taking cold or allergy medicines and are unlikely to have any effect on performance."<ref name=":0" />

Christie was found to have [[metabolite]]s of pseudoephedrine in his urine after a 200 m heat at the same Olympics, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.<ref name="guardianmackay">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/18/athletics.comment |title=The dirtiest race in history Olympic 100m final, 1988 |author=Duncan Mackay |publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited |date=April 18, 2003 |access-date=October 14, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/411951.stm |title=Sport &#124; Christie suspended after drugs shock |publisher=BBC News |date=1999-08-04 |accessdate=2022-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/sports/othersports/03track.html |title=Gold Medalist Listed as Banned-Drug User - The New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2008-05-03 |accessdate=2022-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay |title=Lewis: 'Who cares I failed drug test?' &#124; Athletics |work=The Guardian |date= 24 April 2003|accessdate=2022-07-18|last1=MacKay |first1=Duncan }}</ref> Of the finalists, only Smith and sixth-placed [[Robson da Silva]] never failed a drug test during their careers. Smith later said: "I should have been the gold medalist."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/observer/osm/story/0,6903,1270863,00.html |work=The Observer Sport Monthly |location=London |title=The most corrupt race ever |access-date=2010-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Duncan Mackay |title=Lewis: 'Who cares if I tested positive' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/apr/24/athletics.duncanmackay |date=April 23, 2003 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Calvin |title=It Should Have Been Gold: The Silent Runner Speaks. |publisher=Publishing Poinciana |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-9970888-0-9 |language=en}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Smith is married to Melanie, whom he met at college, and has two children, a daughter Brittney and a son [[Calvin Smith Jr.]]<ref name="csmithbook"/>

Smith retired from athletics in 1996 and was then for two years an assistant coach at the [[University of Alabama]]. He then moved with his family to [[Tampa, Florida]] where he has pursued a variety of careers. He is currently working for a non-profit agency that provides people with medical assistance.<ref name="csmithbook"/>

==International competitions==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
|rowspan=3|1980
|rowspan=3|[[1980 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships|Pan American Junior Championships]]
|rowspan=3|[[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]], Canada
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|100 m
|10.51
|-
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|200 m
|20.94 w
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|4 × 100 m
|39.61
|-
|rowspan=2|1981
|rowspan=2|[[Athletics at the 1981 Summer Universiade|Universiade]]
|rowspan=2|[[Bucharest]], Romania
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|100 m
|10.26
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|4 × 100 m
|38.70
|-
|rowspan=3|1983
|rowspan=3|[[1983 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan=3|[[Helsinki]], Finland
| style="background:silver;"|2nd
|100 m
|10.21
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|200 m
|20.14
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|4 × 100 m
|37.86 WR
|-
|1984
|[[1984 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], United States
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|4 × 100 m
|37.83 WR
|-
|1987
|[[1987 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|[[Rome]], Italy
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|200 m
|20.16
|-
|1988
|[[1988 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Seoul]], South Korea
| style="background:#c96;"|3rd
|100 m
|9.99
|-
|rowspan=2|1992
|rowspan=2|[[1992 IAAF World Cup|World Cup]]
|rowspan=2|[[Havana]], Cuba
| style="background:#c96;"|3rd
|100 m
|10.33
|-
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|4 × 100 m
|38.48
|}

===Personal bests===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
|- "
!Event
!Date
!Venue
!Time (seconds)
|-
|[[100 metres]]
|3 July 1983
|[[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], United States
|9.93
|-
|[[200 metres]]
|24 August 1983
|[[Zürich]], Switzerland
|19.99
|}

Smith's 19.99 run, made him the second man in history to achieve both a sub-10 second 100 m and a sub-20 second 200 m. Carl Lewis having achieved the feat 66 days earlier.

*<small>All information taken from IAAF Profile</small>.<ref name=IAAFbio>{{cite web |title=Smith, Calvin biography |publisher=[[IAAF]]|url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/letter=0/athcode=2696/index.html |access-date=2009-02-05}}</ref>

==Rankings==
Smith was ranked among the best in the USA and the world in both the 100 and 200 m sprint events from 1980 to 1993, according to the votes of the experts of ''[[Track and Field News]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/01-m100Rank.pdf|title=World Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters|publisher=[[Track and Field News]]}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/01-m100RankUS.pdf|title=U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters|publisher=[[Track and Field News]]}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/02-m200Rank.pdf|title=World Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters|publisher=[[Track and Field News]]}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/02-m200RankUS.pdf|title=U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters|publisher=[[Track and Field News]]}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{| class=wikitable
|+100 meters
|-
!Year
!World rank
!US rank
|-
|1980
| style="text-align:center;"| 10th
| style="text-align:center;"| 7th
|-
|1981
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| 9th
|-
|1982
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1983
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1984
| style="text-align:center;"| 6th
| style="text-align:center;"| 5th
|-
|1985
| style="text-align:center;"| 6th
| style="text-align:center;"| 3rd
|-
|1986
| style="text-align:center;"| 6th
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1987
| style="text-align:center;"| 5th
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1988
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1989
| style="text-align:center;"| 7th
| style="text-align:center;"| 5th
|-
|1990
| style="text-align:center;"| 6th
| style="text-align:center;"| 4th
|-
|1991
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|-
|1992
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| 10th
|-
|1993
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| 7th
|}
{{col-2}}
{| class=wikitable
|+ 200 meters
|-
!Year
!World rank
!US rank
|-
|1980
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|-
|1981
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|-
|1982
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1983
| style="text-align:center;"| 1st
| style="text-align:center;"| 1st
|-
|1984
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|-
|1985
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1986
| style="text-align:center;"| 3rd
| style="text-align:center;"| 3rd
|-
|1987
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
| style="text-align:center;"| 2nd
|-
|1988
| style="text-align:center;"| 4th
| style="text-align:center;"| 3rd
|-
|1989
| style="text-align:center;"| 5th
| style="text-align:center;"| 3rd
|-
|1990
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|-
|1991
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|-
|1992
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|-
|1993
| style="text-align:center;"| -
| style="text-align:center;"| -
|}
{{col-end}}

==Records and World Bests ==
Smith achieved the following world records and world best times during his illustrious career:<ref>Progression of IAAF World Records 2011 Edition, Editor Imre Matrahazi, IAAF Athletics, p 521-522.</ref>

* world record of 9.93 s at the United States Air Force Academy on 3 July 1983.
* world low-altitude best time of 9.97 s in Zürich on 24 August 1983.
* world record at the 4 × 100 m relay in Helsinki on 10 August 1983.
* world record in the 4 × 100 m relay in Los Angeles on 11 August 1984.

===Track records===
As of September 2024, Smith holds the following track records for 100 metres.
{| class="wikitable" style= "text-align: center"
|-
!Location
!Time
!Windspeed<br>m/s
!Date
!Notes
|-
| [[Bratislava]] || 10.07 || +1.4 || 09/06/1988 ||
|-
| [[Chemnitz]] || 9.91 || +2.1 || 09/07/1982 ||
|-
| [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]] || 9.93 || +1.4 || 03/07/1983 || World record until 1988 Olympic final
|}

==Accolades==
In 2007, Smith was inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame.<ref name=hof_usa>{{cite web |publisher=[[USA Track & Field]]|url=http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=226|access-date=2018-02-16|title=Calvin Smith}}</ref>

In 2014, Smith was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=hof_mis>{{cite web|publisher=Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum|url=http://msfame.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/calvin-smith/|access-date=2018-02-16|title=Calvin Smith|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227034532/http://msfame.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/calvin-smith/|archive-date=2018-02-27|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2016, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=hof_ala>{{cite web |publisher=Alabama Crimson Tide|url=http://www.rolltide.com/news/2016/1/11/Former_Track_amp_Field_Standout_Calvin_Smith_Among_Newly_Elected_Inductees_for_the_Alabama_Sports_Hall_of_Fame_.aspx|date=2016-01-11|title=Former Track & Field Standout Calvin Smith Among Newly Elected Inductees for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Men's 100 metres world record progression]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{World Athletics}}
*{{USATF|id=Calvin-Smith}}
*{{USATF Hall of Fame|id=226}}
*[http://run-down.com/guests/jc_calvin_smith.php Calvin Smith] at Run-Down.com

{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Men|1984}}
{{Footer World Champions 4 x 100 m Men|1983}}
{{Footer World Champions 200 m Men}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions 4x100 m Men}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 4x100 m Men}}
{{Footer US NC 200m Men}}
{{Footer WBYP 100m Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1984 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1988 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Calvin}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Bolton, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Mississippi]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:University of Alabama alumni]]
[[Category:Alabama Crimson Tide men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:World record setters in the sport of athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1981 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Hinds County, Mississippi]]