Newly Crowned '03 World Champion Tyree Washington Retires
Posted Friday, 11 July, 2008
Tyree Washington, the dominant 400-meter runner of 2003, has announced his retirement from the sport, just weeks after being crowned 2003 world champion.
A California state champion in the long jump as a high schooler in 1994, Washington was recruited as a football cornerback and attracted interest from several NFL teams. But it was track where he made his mark, first gaining international notice in 1997 when he was third at the World Outdoor Championships and anchored the gold-medal winning 4x400m Team USA relay. He finished that year ranked #2 in the world, behind only Michael Johnson. In 1998, he finished second at the USA Outdoor Championships behind Jerome Young, who has since been banned for life and has admitted to doping during his track career.
Injury and illness hobbled Washington the next three seasons. In early 2001, he ran his personal-best time of 44.28, the fastest by an American for the year, and his 44.47 at Mt. SAC was second-fastest. But a hamstring injury kept him from winning another national title.
2003 was the height of Washington's track career. He won the U.S. indoor, World Indoor and USA outdoor titles and entered the World Outdoor Championships in Paris as the favorite. In Paris, he was unfairly denied the gold medal, crossing the finish line behind Young, who later admitted to doping. It was his only loss of the season. But on June 17, 2008, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced that all of Young's results from January 1, 1999 onward would be stripped, thus making Washington the 2003 World Outdoor champion.
"It's unfortunate that I couldn't enjoy the moment in Paris but I will take mymedal and title withopen arms," Washington said of his 2003 world title. "I will definitely not stray away from track and field since I believe my calling is to educate and inspire the young athletes coming up. I will do my part to help keep drugs out of the sport and work towards having a clean playing field for all athletes."
Washington continued to compete through the 2008 Olympic Trials. In 2005, he won the World Athletics Final and was ranked #6 in the world. In 2006 he ran on the winning 4x400m relay at the World Indoor Championships.
The father of son Malik, 12, and daughter Tyra, 2, Washington will turn 34 in August.
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