View source for Shawn Crawford

{{Short description|American sprinter (born 1978)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Shawn Crawford
| image          = 20090818 Shawn Crawford.jpg
| image_size     = 220px
| caption        = Shawn Crawford during the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics]] in Berlin
| nationality    = American
| sport          = [[Running]]
| event          = [[100 metres]], [[200 metres]]
| club           =
| collegeteam    = [[Clemson University|Clemson]]
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1978|01|14}}
| birth_place    = [[Van Wyck, South Carolina]], U.S.
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = {{convert|5|ft|11|in|m|2|abbr=on|lk=off}}
| weight         = {{convert|165|lb|kg|abbr=on|lk=off}}
| pb             = '''100 m''': 9.88<br />
'''200 m''': 19.79
| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport | Men's [[sport of athletics|athletics]] }}
{{Medal|Country | the {{USA}} }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]] | [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 m]] }}
{{Medal|Silver | [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]] | [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]] }}
{{Medal|Silver | [[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]] | [[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 m]] }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]] }}
{{Medal|Bronze | [[2001 World Championships in Athletics|2001 Edmonton]] | [[2001 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|200 m]] }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics|World Indoor Championships]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2001 Lisbon]] | [[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's 200 metres|200 m]] }}
{{Medal|Silver | [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2004 Budapest]] | [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Men's 60 metres|60 m]] }}
{{Medal|Competition | [[Goodwill Games]] }}
{{Medal|Gold | [[2001 Goodwill Games|2001 Brisbane]] | [[Athletics at the 2001 Goodwill Games|200 m]] }} 
}}

'''Shawn Crawford''' (born January 14, 1978) is a retired [[United States|American]] [[Sprint (running)|sprint]] [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]]. He competed in the [[100 metres|100&nbsp;meters]] and [[200 metres|200&nbsp;meters]] events. In the 200 meter sprint, Crawford won [[Gold medal|gold]] at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] and [[Silver medal|silver]] at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]. He originally finished 4th in the race but after the 2nd and 3rd-place winners were disqualified, he moved up to a silver. On April 17, 2013, Crawford was suspended for two years for missing out-of-competition drug tests.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/22210453|title=Shawn Crawford banned for two years for missing doping tests|work=BBC Sport |date=19 April 2013|access-date=31 January 2020}}</ref> His coach, [[Bob Kersee]] claimed that Crawford retired after the [[2012 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|2012 United States Olympic Trials]] and [[USA Track & Field]] said he filed retirement papers in 2013.<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/sprinter-shawn-crawford-suspended-2-years-for-whereabouts-failures-coach-says-hes-retired/2013/04/18/d3a055f4-a896-11e2-9e1c-bb0fb0c2edd9_story.html|title=Sprinter Shawn Crawford suspended 2 years for 'whereabouts failures;' coach says he's retired|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=31 January 2020}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Biography==
Crawford was born in [[Van Wyck, South Carolina]]. He attended Indian Land High School before leaving for [[Clemson University]], where he claimed eleven All-America honors and three national championships.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

In 2001 Crawford started the year with a victory at the [[IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics|Indoor World Championships]] in the 200 m. He then went to the [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Athletics Championships]], where he tied with [[Kim Collins]] of [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]] for the 200 m [[bronze medal]]. At the [[Goodwill Games]], he claimed his second gold medal of the year.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Crawford became known for his outrageous antics and lack of focus. At a 2002 meet in [[Milan]], he donned a [[The Phantom of the Opera (novel)|Phantom of the Opera]] mask that obstructed his vision during the 200 m race, causing him to run out of his lane and be disqualified.<ref name=SanDiego>{{cite web |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040823/news_lz1x23sulli.html |title=Crawford's the happiest, fastest guy out of the medals in the 100 |access-date=2007-07-27}}</ref>

In January 2003, Crawford starred in an episode of the [[Fox TV]] show ''[[Man vs. Beast]]'' in which he raced a zebra and a giraffe over 100 m on dirt. In the first race, he easily bested the giraffe. The zebra race was very close. Accusing the zebra of a false start, he re-raced the zebra, getting out of the blocks first and taking a lead. This caused the zebra to speed up, finishing in 9.957 seconds to Crawford's 10.86 seconds. Later he boasted to ''[[ESPN the Magazine]]'', "tell the zebra I coulda whooped him."<ref name=SanDiego /> According to the [[USATF]] website, Crawford refers to himself as "Cheetah Man." He has publicly expressed his desire to run in war paint and urges spectators to look out for him at every meet.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

In March 2004, he was favored to win the [[60 metres|60 meters]] world indoor title but was defeated by [[Jason Gardener]] of [[Great Britain]] by three hundredths of a second.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Crawford is hot on Gardener's trail {{!}} NEWS {{!}} World Athletics|url=https://worldathletics.org/news/news/crawford-is-hot-on-gardeners-trail|access-date=2022-01-13|website=worldathletics.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jason Gardener Winning 60m Gold over Shawn Crawford|url=https://www.letsrun.com/2004/worldindoors1/imagepages/image3.htm|access-date=2022-01-13|website=www.letsrun.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-14|title=Jason Gardener reveals miracle run to win world indoor gold|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/interviews/jason-gardener-reveals-miracle-run-to-win-world-indoor-gold-1039942024/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=AW|language=en-GB}}</ref>

In the trials for the [[2004 Summer Olympics]], Crawford secured a place on the team by claiming third in the 100 m with a personal best of 9.93 s behind winner [[Maurice Greene (athlete)|Maurice Greene]] and runner-up [[Justin Gatlin]]. Seven days later he placed first in the 200 m with a time of 19.99s, edging out Gatlin; [[Bernard Williams (sprinter)|Bernard Williams]] took third place. In June, Crawford improved on his 100 m personal best by running 9.88s in [[Eugene, Oregon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://preclassic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=120&year=2004&do=info
|title=2004 Eugene Diamond League - Prefontaine Classic}}</ref>
[[File:Shawn Crawford, Walter Dix 2008 Olympics 200 m final.jpg|thumb|right|Shawn Crawford (left) and [[Walter Dix]] (right) at the 2008 Olympics 200 m final]]
At the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens]], Crawford ran the 100 m final in 9.89 s, finishing in fourth place just 0.04 s behind first-place finisher Justin Gatlin. That marked the first race in history in which four competitors under 9.90s. Crawford went on to win the gold medal in the 200 m with a time of 19.79 s. He claimed a silver medal as part of the United States [[4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]] team.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

He qualified for the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in the 200 m dash, finishing second at the trials after failing to qualify in the 100 m. He originally finished fourth in the 200 m final, but was later promoted to 2nd, winning silver, after fellow countryman [[Wallace Spearmon]] and [[Churandy Martina]] of the [[Netherlands Antilles]] were both disqualified for lane infringements. Although initially only Spearmon was disqualified, prompting the United States to consider filing a protest, review of race footage revealed an additional infraction by Martina. On August 28, in a gesture of [[sportsmanship]], Crawford gave his medal to Martina.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQ3at8HhzW2x9sdbR7OPsmhMwFGQD961S9G81 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202041738/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQ3at8HhzW2x9sdbR7OPsmhMwFGQD961S9G81 |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 2, 2009 |title=Crawford confirms he gave Olympic medal to Martina |access-date=2009-02-01 |publisher=AP }}</ref> On March 6, 2009, the [[Court of Arbitration for Sport]] rejected an appeal by the National Olympic Committee of the [[Netherlands Antilles]] against Martina's disqualification.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/olympics/trackandfield/news/story?id=3957265 Martina's bid to reclaim silver rejected], ESPN.com, March 6, 2009.</ref>

Crawford won the 200 m at the [[2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships]] and qualified to represent the [[United States at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics]]. He ran 19.89 s in the [[2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres|final of the competition]], his best time of the season, but finished fourth behind second-place [[Alonso Edward]] of Panama (19.81 s) and third-place Wallace Spearmon (19.85 s). First place finisher [[Usain Bolt]] set a new world record of 19.19 s.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
On April 17, 2013, Crawford was suspended for two years for missing out-of-competition drug tests.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> His coach, [[Bob Kersee]] claimed that Crawford retired after the [[2012 United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|2012 United States Olympic Trials]] and [[USA Track & Field]] said he filed retirement papers in 2013.<ref name="washingtonpost.com"/>

==Statistics==
:''{{As of|2009|07|05}}''

On 12 April 2002, Crawford became the first man to break [[10-second barrier|ten seconds for the 100 metres]] for the first time and twenty seconds for the 200 metres for the first time, both on the same day, a feat he achieved in Pretoria, South Africa.<ref>[https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/the-cheetah-man-retains-sub-19-goal The ‘Cheetah man’ retains sub-19 goal]. IAAF (2004-10-27). Retrieved 2018-05-01.</ref>

===Personal bests===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Event
! Time (seconds)
! Date
! Venue
|-
| [[60 metres|60&nbsp;meters]]
| 6.47
| February 28, 2004
| [[Boston, Massachusetts]], United States
|-
| [[100 metres|100&nbsp;meters]]
| 9.88
| June 19, 2004
| [[Eugene, Oregon]], United States
|-
| [[200 metres|200&nbsp;meters]]
| 19.79
| August 26, 2004
| [[Athens, Greece|Athens]], Greece
|-
| [[300 metres|300&nbsp;meters]]
| 32.47
| June 7, 2009
| [[Eugene, Oregon]], United States
|}

* <small>All information from IAAF Profile</small><ref name=IAAFbio>{{cite web |title=Crawford, Shawn biography |publisher=[[IAAF]].org |url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/letter=0/athcode=136061/index.html |access-date=2008-09-08}}</ref>

===Major achievements===
* 2001
** [[2001 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships in Athletics]] – [[Edmonton, Alberta]], Canada.
*** 200&nbsp;m bronze medalist
** [[2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]] – [[Lisbon]], Portugal.
*** 200&nbsp;m gold medal
** [[Goodwill Games]] – [[Brisbane]], Australia.
*** 200&nbsp;m gold medal
* 2004
** [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]] – [[Budapest]], Hungary.
*** 60&nbsp;m silver medal
** [[2004 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] – [[Athens]], Greece.
*** 200&nbsp;m gold medal
*** 4 × 100&nbsp;m relay silver medal
* 2008
** [[2008 Summer Olympics]] 200&nbsp;m Silver Medal
*** On January 31, 2009 according to the Associated Press "Shawn Crawford confirmed that he gave his Olympic silver medal to Churandy Martina, the sprinter who finished second in the 200 meters but was later disqualified for running out of his lane"

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{USATF|Shawn-Crawford}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060110195548/http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_1303.htm |title=Shawn Crawford at the United States Olympic Team |date=mdy}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{Olympics.com|shawn-crawford}}
* [http://www.flocasts.com/flotrack/coverage.php?c=6&id=155 Video Interview of Shawn Crawford during the 100th Millrose Games]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|ach}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Joshua J. Johnson]]
| title = [[200 metres#Men's Seasons Best|Men's 200 m Best Year Performance]]<br /><small>alongside {{flagicon|GRE}} [[Konstadinos Kederis]]</small>
| years = 2002
| after = [[Bernard Williams (sprinter)|Bernard Williams]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Bernard Williams (sprinter)|Bernard Williams]]
| title = [[200 metres#Men's Seasons Best|Men's 200 m Best Year Performance]]
| years = 2004
| after = [[Wallace Spearmon]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 200 m Men}}
{{Footer World Indoor Champions 200m Men}}
{{Footer US NC 200m Men}}
{{Footer US NC Indoor 60m Men}}
{{Footer WBYP 200m Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2004 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2008 Summer Olympics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Shawn}}
[[Category:1978 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Lancaster County, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from South Carolina]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from California]]
[[Category:African-American track and field athletes]]
[[Category:American men sprinters]]
[[Category:Olympic men sprinters]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Clemson Tigers men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships winners]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]