James Sanford (athlete)

This article is about the American sprinter. For other people with the same name, see James Sanford (disambiguation).

James Sanford

Personal information
Citizenship	United States
Born	(1957-12-27) December 27, 1957 (age 67)
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m: 010.02 s (Westwood, Los Angeles CA, USA; 11/05/1980)[1] 200 m: 20.19 s (Westwood, Los Angeles CA, USA; 28/04/1979)[1]

James Sanford

Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  United States
IAAF World Cup
	1979 Montreal	100 m

James Sanford (born December 27, 1957) is a retired track and field sprinter from the United States.

He was champion at the 100 metres at the 1979 IAAF Athletics World Cup in Montreal.

He also held the best time for the 100 metres at a low altitude for one year, a time of 10.02 seconds, until Carl Lewis improved this record to 10.00 seconds in May 1981.

Career

While running for Pasadena High School, Sanford won the 400 metres, anchored his team to victory in the 4x400 metres relay and was second in the 200 metres (a race brother Michael was to win the next two years) at the 1977 CIF California State Meet. After high school, he moved on to the University of Southern California. Here he enjoyed great track success over the next four years.^[2] Sanford still holds the school records in the 100 metres and 200 metres - a statement all the more impressive considering some of the people who have been through the program including Olympic sprint Gold Medalists Lennox Miller, Don Quarrie, Mel Patton and Quincy Watts. Along with brother Michael he also is on the school record holding 4x100 metres relay team.

Sanford originally considered himself a 200/400 metres runner and it was only in 1979 that he started to concentrate on the 100 meters. This change resulted in wins that year in the NCAA championships and US National Championships 100 meters events.^[3][4]

The win in the national championships qualified Sanford for the USA team at the 1979 IAAF World Cup where he became champion at 100 metres.^[5] Sanford picked up a muscle injury in a race in Berlin seven days earlier and was a doubt to run (Harvey Glance was to be his substitute). It was also suggested that he anchor the United States 4 × 100 m relay team but in the end United States team coach, Sam Bell, favoured the experience of Steve Riddick.^[6]

Sanford was considered the favorite in the lead-up to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott-marred United States Olympic Trials (track and field). However, he suffered an early-season defeat by a young Carl Lewis, then finished third in the 100 metres at the NCAA championships before finally injuring himself in the 200 metres there, ending his season.^[7] (He also did not qualify for the 1984 Olympics, only finishing 5th in his semi-final of the 100 m.)

On May 11, 1980 at a meet in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, Sanford set the unofficial low altitude world record in the 100 metres at 10.02 s,^[8][9] a mark which stood for just over a year, when it was improved by Carl Lewis to 10.00 s.^[10][11]

In 1981 he set the world's best year performance in the men's 200 metres clocking 20.20 s on 10 May at a meet in Westwood, Los Angeles.^[11][12]

Rankings

Sanford was ranked among the best in the US and the world in both the 100 and 200 m sprint events from 1978 to 1981, according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News.^{[13][14][15][16]}

100 meters Year World rank US rank 1978 - 8th 1979 1st 1st 1980 4th 2nd 1981 4th 3rd

200 meters Year World rank US rank 1978 9th 4th 1979 6th 2nd 1980 8th 4th 1981 3rd 2nd

USA Championships

Sanford was a very successful competitor in the USA National Track and Field Championships between 1978 and 1981:^[3]

USA Championships Year 100m 200m 1978 - 5th 1979 1st - 1980 - - 1981 4th 3rd

References

1. http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/biographies/letter=s/athcode=7563/index.html IAAF, Athletes Biographies
2. "USC's Official Athletic Site - Men's Outdoor Track". Archived from the original on 2009-08-26. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
3. "Track & Field News: A History of the Results of the National Track & Field Championships of the USA from 1876 Through 2003". Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2012-06-17. A History Of The Results Of The National Track & Field Championships Of The USA From 1876 Through 2003, Track and Field News, Retrieved 3 February 2012.
4. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19790627&id=hyxHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PfgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5010,5297610 The Day, Connecticut, 27 June 1979. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
5. IAAF World Cup in Athletics
6. sportsillustrated.cnn.com Sports Illustrated, Kenny Moore, September 3, 1979.
7. http://www.legacy.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf Archived 2016-03-27 at the Wayback Machine The History of the United States Olympic Trials - Track & Field, R Hymans, USA Track & Field, 2008
8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-02-19. World Record Progression. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
9. E L Quercetani & G Pallicca, A World History of Sprint Racing 1850-2005, p 311
10. http://www.apulanta.fi/matti/yu/yt/index_Men.html#1981 Statistics 1981 Athletics World Leaders
11. E L Quercetani & G Pallicca, A World History of Sprint Racing 1850-2005, p 313
12. http://digilander.libero.it/atletica2/Stagionali/WRL/1981/200.htm 1981 Year Rankings at 200 m
13. "World Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters" (PDF). Track and Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
14. "U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters" (PDF). Track and Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
15. "World Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters" (PDF). Track and Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
16. "U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 200 meters" (PDF). Track and Field News. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-02-19.

Further reading

• R L Quercetani & G Pallicca, "A World History of Sprint Racing 1850-2005", SEP Editrice Srl, 2006.

External links

• Track and Field News Cover, June 1980

Sporting positions
Preceded by Steve Williams	Men's 100m Champion IAAF World Cup 1979	Succeeded by Allan Wells
Preceded by Pietro Mennea	Men's 100m Best Year Performance 1980	Succeeded by Carl Lewis
Preceded by Pietro Mennea	Men's 200m Best Year Performance 1981	Succeeded by Mike Miller