Biography of Gail Devers

The 40-year-old Devers won the women's 60-meter hurdles at the 100th Millrose Games in a strong start-to-finish effort in 7.86 seconds - the fastest time in the world to that point in the year and nearly a full second better than the listed world record for masters over-40 athletes (8.71). It was also her fourth Millrose victory in the hurdles…Devers took 2005 off from competition, and after finishing fourth in the women's 60m hurdles at the 2006 Milllrose Games in 8.13 seconds, the world found out why. At her post-race press conference Devers introduced her daughter, Karsen Anise, who was born June 20, 2005, weighing 7 lbs, 9 oz.: [On the baby's birth]: "She didn't want to come out and I had to have an emergency C-section. I heard everybody said I retired, but I didn't retire. My husband [Mike Phillips] and I decided that after the [Olympic] Games we were going to start our family and we did. I had a great pregnancy and I said OK I'm going to come back. Because of the C-section I waited 6 months before I started training. Devers made her 5th Olympic Team with a win in the 100m hurdles at the 2004 Olympic Trials, but a calf injury suffered in training ended her Olympic hopes…she had a successful 2004 indoor season, as she became the first American athlete in history to win both the 60m and 60m hurdles at a USA Indoor Track & Field Championships…she continued her gold medal streak in the World Indoors 60m clocking in 7.08 seconds, her fastest time of the year and the second-fastest time in the world in 2004. She won a silver medal in the 60m hurdles (7.78)…had a tremendous season in 2003 winning both the USA and World indoor 60m hurdles titles, and breaking her own American record in the semifinals at USA Indoors (7.74 seconds), after she had set the record earlier that season at the Millrose Games (7.78)…after years of being coached by Bobby Kersee, Devers in 2002 began coaching herself. “It’s just me, a seven-pound Pomeranian and God on the track” when she is working out. practices start against her Pomeranian, Kaleb…she is still looking for a perfect race in which she does not hit a hurdle…unlike some hurdlers, Devers is affected by hitting the barriers – “even during my American record, I hit a hurdle. I’d like to see what happens when I have a clean race”…Devers was the favorite for a long-awaited gold in the 100mH at Sydney after a stunning 12.33 AR win at the Olympic Trials. However, bad Olympic fortunes in the hurdles crushed her hopes of a medal when she pulled up in the semifinal after the fourth hurdle, aggravating a previously injured hamstring…following her Olympic disappointment, Devers traveled to Doha, Qatar, for the 2000 IAAF Grand Prix final where she won the hurdles in 12.85 to clinch a share of the 2000 Golden League jackpot…started out as an 800m runner in high school…the daughter of a Baptist minister, she single-handedly took 4th-place in the team standings at the California state meet when she won the 100, 100mH, and took 2nd in the LJ…during her collegiate career, Devers won nine Pac-10 titles in two years of competition…Devers suffered from Graves Disease from 1988 to 1991…she says she was days away from having her feet amputated, but now a careful diet and thyroid medication has brought the disease under control…shocked many at the 1992 Olympics by winning the 100, but fell over the final hurdle in 100mH while leading and finished 5th…at the 1993 Worlds, she won the 100 and 100mH, the same combination that Dutch legend Fanny Blankers-Koen won at the 1948 Olympics…the greatest combination sprinter/hurdler in history…an ‘I Love Lucy’ addict…a sociology major at UCLA…official website is www.gaildevers.com...USATF’s 1999 Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year, Devers’ foundation, The Gail Devers Foundation, raises money for charities throughout the country.