Devers, Gail (1966–)
Devers, Gail (1966–)
African-American runner. Born Nov 16, 1966, in Seattle, Washington; grew up near San Diego, California; attended University of California, Los Angeles; m. R.J. Hampton (track-and-field athlete, div.).
Learned she had Graves' disease, a thyroid disorder that compromises the metabolic and nervous systems (1990); at World championships, placed 1st at 100-meter hurdles (1993, 1995, 1999), 100 meters (1993), and 4 × 100-meter relay (1997); at World Indoor championships, placed 1st in 60-meter sprint (1993, 1997, 2004) and 60-meter hurdles (2003); won a gold medal for 100-meter sprint (closest finish ever recorded in Olympic race) at Barcelona Olympics (1992); won gold medals for 100-meter hurdles and 4 × 100-meter relay at Atlanta Olympics (1996).
See also Christina Lessa, Women Who Win (Universe, 1998), and tv-movie "Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story," (1996).