Derick "Ringo" Adamson" (born 24 March 1958) is a Jamaican former marathon runner. He competed at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1988 Olympic Games 1988 Olympics refers to both: *The 1988 Winter Olympics, which were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada *The 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul ...

, the 1990 Commonwealth Games, and also won the 1984 and 1985

Philadelphia Marathon The Philadelphia Marathon (aka the Philadelphia Independence Marathon) is an annual marathon sporting event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the third Sunday of November each year since 1954. The Philadelphia Marathon ranks among the top te ...

Sporting career

Adamson studied at

Glassboro State College Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. It was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents. ...

(now Rowan University), graduating in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

. During his time there, he was a four-time all-conference runner, competing in the steeplechase and other long-distance running events. In 1980, during his sophomore year, he won the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...

steeplechase championship, and finished fourth in the Jamaican trials for the 1980 Olympics. Whilst a student, Adamson set the Jamaican steeplechase national record, and competed at the

1982 Central American and Caribbean Games The 14th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Havana, Cuba from August 7 to August 18, 1982, and included 2,420 athletes from nineteen nations competing in 25 different sports. Some events were held in Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, an ...

. Adamson qualified for the marathon at the 1984 Olympic Games, where he finished 52nd in a time of 2:25:02. Later in the year, he was scheduled to compete at the 1984 New York City Marathon, but withdrew before the start as the weather was too warm. In the same year, he won the 1984

in a time of 2:16.39, a Jamaican national record in the event. In 1985, Adamson won the event for a second consecutive year in a time of 2:18:27, 5 minutes and 13 seconds ahead of anyone else. After the race, Adamson said that he had hoped to have run a faster time, but was slowed down by the wind. Adamson competed in the marathon at the 1988 Olympic Games, finishing 84th, and also ran the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, where he finished ninth.

Coaching career

Whilst a student, Adamson worked as a coach at Gloucester County College. From 1983 to 1988, he was the men's head cross-country coach at Gloucester County College, and was also the women's head cross-country coach from 1991 to 1994. He won the regional Coach of the Year award in 1985, and won the

New Jersey Athletic Conference The New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), formerly the New Jersey State Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. All of its full members are public universities in New Jersey. Affiliate membe ...

Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012. In July 2014, Adamson became the first full-time Rowan coach for women's cross-country.

Notes

References

External links

Sports Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Derick Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Living people 1958 births People from Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica Olympic athletes of Jamaica Commonwealth Games competitors for Jamaica Rowan University alumni Jamaican male long-distance runners Jamaican male marathon runners Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in the United States