Marcus Adam (born 28 February 1968) is an English retired sportsperson, who represented Great Britain as both a sprinter and a bobsledder.

Marcus Adam
Personal information
NationalityEnglish
Born (1968-02-28) 28 February 1968 (age 56)
London, England
Sport
SportAthletics
ClubBelgrave Harriers, Wimbledon
Medal record
Athletics
Representing  Great Britain
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1990 Split 4×100 m relay
Representing  England
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1990 Auckland 200 m
Gold medal – first place 1990 Auckland 4×100 m relay

Competing in athletics, he won the gold medal in the 200 metres at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, and also won gold and silver medals respectively in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and 1990 European Championships. He is also a member of the team which holds the British record in the 4 x 200 metres relay.

After retiring from athletics, he shifted to the sport of bobsleigh. He competed in the two-man bobsleigh event at the 2002 Winter Olympics (finishing in tenth place), having previously competed as a sprinter at the 1992 Summer Olympics (finishing in eighth place in the 200 metres and fourth place in the 4 x 100 metres relay).

Athletics

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Adam was born in London.[1] At the 1987 European Junior Athletics Championships, he won gold medals in both the 200 metres and the 4 x 100 metres relay.[2] In the same year he won his first medal at the UK Championships, with a bronze medal in the 100 metres behind Linford Christie and Jamie Henderson.[3]

In 1989, Adam started by winning the silver medal at the Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) Indoor Championships.[4] He then won both the 100 and 200 metres at the UK Championships,[3] and at the AAA Championships in the same year he won the silver medal in the 100 metres and the gold medal in the 200 metres.[5] Also, in June 1989 he helped establish a British record of 1:21.29 minutes in the rarely contested 4 x 200 metres relay (together with Ade Mafe, Linford Christie and John Regis). This record still stands. In February 1990 he helped establish a new British indoor record of 1:22.99 minutes in the same event. (The time was beaten in March 1991.)[6] Also in the 1989–90 indoor season, Adam won the 200 metres race at the AAA Indoor Championships.[4]

Adam's international breakthrough came in the 1990 outdoor season. One of the season highlights was the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Adam finished fourth in the 100 metres event with a wind-aided time of 10.14 seconds, 0.02 seconds behind bronze medallist Bruny Surin. He then won the 200 metres with a wind-aided time of 20.10 seconds, ahead of his fellow English athletes John Regis and Ade Mafe, who finished second and third. Adam would never run faster than these two wind-aided times at the Commonwealth Games.[7] He went on to win a second gold medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay (together with Clarence Callender, John Regis and Linford Christie).[8] Adam also participated in the 1990 European Championships. He reached the semi-finals of the 200 metres,[9] and won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay (together with Darren Braithwaite, John Regis and Linford Christie).[10] The time of 37.98 seconds was a British record, which would stand until 1993.[6]

Adam achieved a personal best time in the 100 metres in July 1991, clocking in 10.23 seconds at a meet in Birmingham.[7]

In the 1991–92 indoor season, Adam competed at the 1992 European Indoor Championships, reaching the semi-finals of the 200 metres.[11]

In June 1992, Adam achieved his lifetime best time in the 200 metres, with a time of 20.41 seconds at a meet in Dijon.[7]

At the 1992 Summer Olympics, Adam reached the final of the 200 metres, finishing in eighth place with a time of 20.80 seconds.[1] He was also a member of the British 4 × 100 m relay team which finished in fourth place.[12] Domestically, Adam won the bronze medal in 100 metres at the AAA Championships,[5] and at the UK Championships he won the bronze medal in 100 metres and the gold medal in the 200 metres.[3]

Adam was then absent from the spotlight for several years. He made a brief return in the winter of 1999, when he competed at the World Indoor Championships,[1] and won the 200 metres event at the AAA Indoor Championships.[4]

Bobsleigh

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Adam later took up the sport of bobsleigh. As a brakeman, he finished tenth in the two-man event at the 2002 Winter Olympics[12] together with Lee Johnston.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Marcus Adam at World Athletics  . Retrieved on 25 February 2009.
  2. ^ "British Medallists in European Junior Championships". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "UK Championships". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  4. ^ a b c "AAA Indoor Championships (Men)". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  5. ^ a b "AAA Championships (Men)". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  6. ^ a b "UK All-Time Lists: Men – Decathlon and Relays". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  7. ^ a b c "UK All-Time Lists: Men – Track (60–600)". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  8. ^ "1998 Commonwealth Games, men's results". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  9. ^ 1990 European Athletics Championships results Archived 2008-01-24 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "British Medallists in European Championships". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  11. ^ "1992 European Indoor Championships, men's 200 metres semi-final". Die Leichtatletik-Statistik-Seite. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  12. ^ a b "Marcus Adam". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  13. ^ "Great Britain Bobsleigh at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
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