American track and field sprinter Tyson Gay is the American 100m record holder and the joint second fastest athlete of all time. In just over a decade he has been awarded the IAFF World Athlete of the Year title, achieved the 100m and 200m season’s best performances and took home a gold medal sweep in the 4 x 100m relay, 100m and 200m at the Osaka World Championships in 2007 – becoming only the second man to win all three events at one World Championships. Gay has also been U.S. 100m champion on four occasions and has won the Jess Owens award twice and the ESPY Award in both 2008 and 2011. In 2009 Gay ran the 100m in 9.69 seconds, the second-fastest time in history and equally Usain Bolt’s time when he won gold at the Olympics in Beijing.
Born in Kentucky, Gay’s mother, grandmother and sister were all keen sprinters and athletes, and encouraged by his mother he began to race himself whilst still at school. After competing in NCAA events whilst at university, the young sprinter turned professional at the USA Outdoor Championships where he took silver in the 200m before being selected for the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. The Helsinki World Championships marked the beginning of a career full of world-beating performances and record for Gay.
Gay has recently released his first ever public training program via his website, which shares his secrets of how to prep for the Olympic trials.
