Linford Christie was born in St Andrew, Jamaica, on 2 April 1960. In 1967, he followed his parents to the United Kingdom where they had emigrated five years before. He attended Henry Compton Secondary School in Fulham and excelled in physical education, but did not specialise in athletics until he was almost twenty. He became a very successful sprinter and in 1993 was the first track star ever to hold simultaneously the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles in the 100 meters. Altogether he finished with 23 medals, more that any other British male athlete before or since. He was awarded an MBE in 1990 and an OBE in 1998 for his services to athletics. Away from the track, Christie hosted the BBC television series Record Breaker for a time before its cancellation in 2001. In 2006 he was named a senior mentor for athletes in the British national team.
CHRISTIE, Linford
