Melissa Morrison-Howard

Melissa Morrison-Howard (born July 9, 1971) is an American hurdler best known for winning two Olympic bronze medals. She also won the bronze medal at the 2003 World Indoor Championships as well as one national indoor championships. From 1992 to 1993, the Southern Conference's indoor and outdoor championships voted her as The Most Valuable Performer.[1] As of 2020, she is considered one of the top 6 US scorers of all time for the 100-meter hurdles.[2]

Melissa Morrison-Howard
Personal information
BornJuly 9, 1971 (1971-07-09) (age 52)
Mooresville, North Carolina, U.S.
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 100 m hurdles
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 100 m hurdles
World Indoor Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Birmingham 60 m hurdles
USA Outdoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1997 Indianapolis 100 m hurdles
USA Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 1998 Atlanta 60 m hurdles
Gold medal – first place 2002 New York 60 m hurdles

She is a 1993 graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. During her career at Appalachian State, Morrison was coached by John Weaver.[3] She won 17 individual Southern Conference championships and was an NCAA All-American in both the 55 and 100-meter hurdles in 1993.

In 2009, she was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame. Appalachian State University also honored her and other female athletes with the Trailblazer Award in 2018.[4]

Following her Olympic successes, she worked as a special education teacher.[5]

Personal bests edit

Date Event Venue Time
March 17, 2001 100 m Coral Gables, Florida 11.59
April 12, 2002 200 m Knoxville, Tennessee 23.98
August 23, 2004 100 m hurdles Athens, Greece 12.53

Achievements edit

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
1997 World Indoor Championships Paris, France 5th 60 m hurdles
1997 USA Outdoor Championships Indianapolis, United States 1st 100 m hurdles
1998 Grand Prix Final Moscow, Russia 2nd 100 m hurdles
1998 USA Indoor Championships 1st 60 m hurdles
1999 World Indoor Championships Maebashi, Japan 6th 60 m hurdles
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 3rd 100 m hurdles
2000 Grand Prix Final Doha, Qatar 4th 100 m hurdles
2002 Grand Prix Final Paris, France 7th 100 m hurdles
2002 USA Indoor Championships 1st 60 m hurdles
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, England 3rd 60 m hurdles
2003 World Athletics Final Monaco 6th 100 m hurdles
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 3rd 100 m hurdles

References edit

  1. ^ "2009 Hall of Fame - Melissa Morrison Howard". SoCon Sports. 2009. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  2. ^ T&FN (2020-04-20). "All-Time Women's World Rankings Leaders". Track and Field News. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  3. ^ "By the numbers". The Fayetteville Observer. 2018-06-29. pp. B1. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
  4. ^ Sherrill, Thomas (2018-09-27). "Trailblazing athletes: App State honors 50th anniversary of women's varsity sports". The Blowing Rocket. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  5. ^ Eakin, Dan (2013-10-26). "340 attend 24th annual Red Ribbon Breakfast". The Lewisville Leader. Retrieved 2023-03-23.