Bernard Williams (sprinter)

"Bernard Williams (athlete)" redirects here. For other sportspeople with this name, see Bernard Williams (disambiguation).

Bernard Williams

Williams during Keien Meeting 2007
Personal information
Full name	Bernard Rollen Williams III
National team	United States
Born	(1978-01-19) January 19, 1978 Baltimore, Maryland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	178 lb (81 kg)
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	100 meters, 200 meters
College team	University of Florida
Coached by	Mike Holloway
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100m: 9.94 (2001) 200m: 20.01 (2004)
Medal record Men's track and field Representing the United States Olympic Games 2000 Sydney 4×100 m relay 2004 Athens 200 m World Championships 2003 Paris 4×100 m relay 2001 Edmonton 100 m Disqualified 2001 Edmonton 4×100 m relay Pan American Games 1999 Winnipeg 100 m

Bernard Rollen Williams III (/bərˈnɑːrd/ bər-NARD; born January 19, 1978) is an American track and field athlete and winner of a gold medal in 4×100-meters relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Bernard Williams won the 100 meters at the 1999 Pan-American Games.

Williams accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team. He graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2008.

In 2000, Williams won the NCAA Championships in the 100 meters as a Florida Gator sprinter and ran the second leg on the gold medal-winning American 4x100-meters relay team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

At the 2001 World Championships, Williams finished third but was given the Silver medal for the 100 meters when (Tim Montgomery) was discovered to have used steroids. Williams also ran the second leg on the American 4x100-meters relay team, which won the gold medal. The team's gold medals were withdrawn when Tim Montgomery was discovered to have used steroids.

In 2003, Williams won the US National Championships in 100 meters and was fifth in 100 meters at the 2003 World Championships. He was also a member of gold medal-winning American relay team. He tested positive for cannabis and received a warning from the USADA in August 2004, but was still able to compete in the Olympics in accordance with IAAF rules.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Williams won the silver medal in 200 meters, edging compatriot and 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin in the final few meters. Thus, Americans won all three top places, since Shawn Crawford won the gold.

Bernard works as a Sports Performance Coach in the Maryland, Washington D.C, and Virginia area. He also works as a standup comedian whenever hired. He was noted for his comedy antics during the 2000 Olympics, including using the people's eyebrow. Also, known for his pre race antics and poses playing to any crowd which has inspired recent Olympic champions such as Usain Bolt.

He is currently the sprinting coach for Oak Hall School's track and field team.

Personal bests

Event	Time (seconds)	Venue	Date
55 meters	6.20	Gainesville, Florida, United States	February 6, 2000
60 meters	6.56	Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States	February 12, 1999
100 meters	9.94	Edmonton, Canada	August 5, 2001
200 meters	20.01	Brussels, Belgium	August 24, 2001

See also

• Florida Gators
• List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Olympians

External links

• USATF profile
• Bernard Williams at World Athletics