Mike Marsh

Michael Lawrence ("Mike") Marsh (born August 4, 1967) is a former American sprinter, the 1992 Olympic champion in the 200 m.

Biography

Marsh was born in Los Angeles, and attended highschool in Hawthorne, California. He started running in high school, and continued to do so in college at UCLA. During his college period, his best achievement was a 3rd place at the NCAA championships.

Although Marsh could compete in the national sprint top, he did not manage to qualify for an international event until 1991, when he qualified for the American relay team for the 1991 World Championships. Marsh ran in the heats, but not in the final, which was won by the Americans. The next year, at the US Olympic Trials for the Barcelona Olympics, Marsh, who had posted a sub-10-second time that season, disappointingly finished fourth in the 100 meters. Not enough for individual qualification, but sufficient to make the relay team. In the 200 m, he placed second to Michael Johnson, and qualified for the Olympics.

In Barcelona, Marsh surprised all observers in his semi-final. He cruised through the race, simply securing qualification for the final. His final time, however, was 19.73, just one hundredth of a second slower than the standing world record. An improvement of this record was anticipated for the final, but Marsh could not live up to those expectations. He did win the race however, beating early leader Frankie Fredericks of Namibia. He did set a world record in the final of the 4 x 100 m, as the American team completed the race in 37,40. This record still stands today.

As the reigning Olympic champion, he surprisingly did not medal in the 200 m at the 1993 World Championships, placing fourth. His 1994 season went without a win, but he returned strongly in 1995. He won the national championships in the 100 m, and represented his country in that event at the World Championships. There, he disappointed, finishing only 5th in the final. The disappointment was complete when the relay team failed to finish the heats after a bad exchange.

In 1996, Marsh managed to qualify for all three sprint events at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and he reached the final of all three. In the 100 m, he placed 5th and finished last while attempt to defend his 200 m title (which was taken by Johnson in a new world record time). The American relay team, with Marsh as the third runner, was heavily favoured to take the 4 x 100 m title, but they were surprised by the Canadian team in the final, and had to settle for silver.

Marsh retired from international athletics after the 1997 season, in which he again qualified for the 100 m final at the World Championships, where he placed last.