Posted: August 20, 2004

Athletics: Devers' second Olympic 100m title named 18th top moment

Gail Devers winning her second Olympic women's 100m gold medal was honored by USA Track & Field on Thursday as the 18th greatest moment in U.S. track and field in the last 25 years.

To help mark the 25th anniversary of USA Track & Field, fans joined USATF in selecting the Top 25 Moments in American Track & Field during the past quarter century. Fans voted for what they consider to be the top moments in the sports of track & field, long-distance running, and race walking by voting online at USATF's website, www.usatf.org.

After winning the 100m gold medal by a margin of 1/100th of a second at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Gail Devers entered the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta looking to retain her title. In one of the closest finishes in Olympic history, Devers and Jamaican Merlene Ottey both crossed the finish line in 10.94 seconds, with the photo showing that Devers won the race by a margin of 5/1000ths of a second.

With her triumph in Atlanta, Devers became the second athlete in history to successfully defend the Olympic women's 100m title. National Track & Field Hall of Famer and former world record holder Wyomia Tyus was the first to accomplish the feat (1964-1968).

The final list of Top 25 Moments, to be announced each week throughout 2004, were selected by a panel of the sport's experts in conjunction with fan voting. To be eligible for the Top 25 Moments list, the moments must have occurred between 1979-2004.

Suggestions for USATF's Top 25 Moments were taken through February 22, 2004. Fans voted for their favorite moments beginning February 28 and ending on June 20. The Top 25 Moments will be announced in reverse order, one per week, leading up to the USATF Annual Meeting in December, where the top three moments will be revealed.

For more information on USATF' Top 25 Moments, visit USATF.org.

USATF Top 25 Moments 
25. Jackie Joyner-Kersee breaks 7,000-point barrier in the heptathlon.
24. Khalid Khannouchi sets men's world marathon record in 2002.
23. Alan Webb sets U.S. boys' high school mile record.
22. Kevin Young breaks Edwin Moses' world record.
21. Lynn Jennings wins third World Cross Country title.
20. Alberto Salazar wins third consecutive New York City Marathon.
19. Flo-Jo sets women's 200m world record.
20. Gail Devers successfully defends Olympic 100m women's title.