Linford Christie Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Linford Christie was born on April 2, 1960. He is a British former sprinter. He has won twenty four major championship medals.

Early life

Linford Christie was born on April 2, 1960, in Saint Andrew in Jamaica. He was born to Mabel Christie and James Christie. He was brought up alongside six siblings. At the age of seven, he joined his parents in London. He went to Henry Compton Secondary School, London. In 1977, he participated in the London Youth Games for the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. In 1978, he joined the British Youth Organization ‘Air Training Corps’. He wanted to become an athlete since he was a teenager. In 1979, he started training under Ron Roddan (Coach). In 1984, he participated in the Summer Olympics team for Great Britain.

Career

In 1986, Linford Christie emerged as a capable athlete when he won his first gold medal in the 100m in the 14th European Athletics Championships which were held at the Neckarstadion in Stuggart. He also won a bronze medal in the 4*100m relay even. In the same year, he won the 200m title at the European Indoor Championships, Madrid. He also finished at second place in the 100m and 4*100 m events at the Commonwealth Games, Edinburg.  In 1987, he won the Bronze Medal in the 100m event at the World Championships in Athletics, Rome.

In 1988, Linford Christie won a gold medal at the European Indoor Championships. In the same year, he won two silver medals in 100m and 4*100m relay in the Olympics which were held in Seoul in South Korea. In 1990, he won two gold medals in the 100m and 4*100 m events at the Commonwealth Games which were held in Auckland, New Zealand. He also won gold medals at in 60 m and 100m events at the European Indoor Championships, Glasgow in the United Kingdom and European Championships held in Split, Yugoslavia respectively. In the same year, he won a silver medal and a bronze medal in the 4*100m relay and 200m events at the European Championships respectively.

In 1991, Linford Christie earned two silver medals in the 60m and 200m events at the World Indoor Championships which were held in Spain. At the 1991 World Championships held in Japan, he won a bronze medal in the 4*100m relay. In 1992, he won the Olympic gold in the 100m events at the Summer Olympics Games held in Spain. In 1993, he won the 100m World Championships title which was held in Germany. In 1994, he won the 100m titles in the European Athletics Championships, Finland and the Commonwealth Games which were held in Canada. In 1995, he set a European Record of 6.47s in 60m.

In 1996, Linford Christie was disqualified from the Olympics final after two false starts. In 1997, he retired from representative International Competitions. He, however, made appearances at invitation meetings. In 1999, the IAAF banned him from athletics for two years after testing positive for nandrolone. After he retired from athleticism, he became a coach. He coaches together with Darren Campbell and Katharine Merry. In 1998, he became a host of the BBC Show ‘Record Breakers’, a post he held up to 2000. In 2000, he appeared in BBC’s Children’s Drama Series ‘Grange Hill’. He also appeared in the series ‘Hustle’. In 2010, he appeared in the reality television show ‘I’m a Celebrity..... Get Me Out of Here’.

Personal life

Linford Christie has six children. He is currently fifty seven years old. He has an estimated net worth of $88 million. In addition to his six children, it is rumoured that he has two more children.