Born: 9 May 1968

Birthplace: Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe (France)

Nationality: France

Sport: Athletics

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Seoul 1988

Barcelona 1992

Atlanta 1996

Sydney 2000

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 3

Other results:

World Championships

Gold: 2 (91, 95)

The First Runner to Win the 400m Twice

Marie-José Pérec was born on the island of Guadeloupe and moved to Paris when she was 16 years old. Recognizing her natural ability, coaches practically forced her to become a sprinter, and she represented France in the 200m at the 1988 Olympics. In 1991, she won a clear victory at 400m in the world championships. Pérec arrived at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics as the favourite in the 400m and she lived up to expectations.

Defending champion Olha Bryzhina led the field into the final straightaway, but Pérec used her long, graceful strides to pull away and win by almost two metres. Pérec continued to dominate the 400m between Olympics.

At the 1996 Atlanta Games, she won another clear victory and became the first runner of either sex to win the 400m twice. Three nights later, Pérec made history again. In the final of the 200m, she defeated Merlene Ottey of Jamaica by one metre to become the second runner to win both the 400m and the 200m.