Jan Merrill

Jan Merrill
Merrill in 1975
Personal information
Born (1956-06-18) June 18, 1956 (age 69)
New London, Connecticut
EducationWaterford Highschool, CT
Height165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
800–10,000 m
ClubConnecticut College
Age Group Athletes Association
Coached byNorm Higgins
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m – 2:02.80 (1977)
1500 m – 4:02.61 (1976)
Mile – 4:28.3 (1979)
3000 m – 8:42.6 (1978)
5000 m – 15:30.6 (1980)
10,000 m – 32.03. (1981)
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place1975 Mexico City1500 m
Gold medal – first place1979 San Juan3000 m

Janice "Jan" Melbourne Merrill (born June 18, 1956) is a retired American runner. She was the dominant long-distance runner of the middle 1970s, a notable front runner, her uniform with the large "M" on her chest would usually break away to an insurmountable lead in domestic meets. She was equally untouchable in self-promotion or dealing with the media, often deferring to her coach, Norm Higgins.[1] At various points in time she held the American record in the 1500 meters (4:02.61 set on July 29, 1976) during the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters.[2] She lost other record opportunities because the only times she could get a decent race in the United States was against men.[1]

She won the U.S. title at 1500 meters twice outdoors,[3] 3000 meters 4 times,[4] twice in the indoor mile,[5] twice in the indoor 2 mile[6] and twice in Cross Country.[7] After retiring from competitions she became a high school and college track coach.[8]

Achievements

YearTournamentVenueResultExtra
Representing the  United States
1976Olympic GamesMontreal, Canada8th1500 m
1978World Cross Country ChampionshipsGlasgow, Scotland7thLong Race Individual
2ndLong Race Team
1979World Cross Country ChampionshipsLimerick, Ireland7thLong Race Individual
1stLong Race Team
1980World Cross Country ChampionshipsParis, France5thLong Race Individual
3rdLong Race Team
1981World Cross Country ChampionshipsMadrid, Spain2ndLong Race Individual
2ndLong Race Team
1983World Cross Country ChampionshipsGateshead, England13thLong Race Individual
1stLong Race Team

References

  1. ^ a b Verschoth, Anita (February 26, 1979). "She's His Fair Lady". sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-04.
  2. ^ Louise Mead Tricard (1 January 1996). American Women's Track and Field: A History, 1895 Through 1980. McFarland. pp. 646–. ISBN 978-0-7864-0219-9.
  3. ^ USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 1,500 m Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 3,000 m Archived 2010-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ USA Indoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 1,500 m Archived 2010-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ USA Indoor Track & Field Champions: Women's 3,000 m Archived 2010-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ USA Track & Field – Women. Usatf.org. Retrieved on 2017-09-18.
  8. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Jan Merrill". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.


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