Derrick Florence (born June 19, 1968) is a former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

sprinter. He had an outstanding career at

Ball High School Ball High School is a public secondary school in Galveston, Texas, United States. Ball, which covers grades 9 through 12, is a part of Galveston Independent School District. Ball High School serves the cities of Galveston and Jamaica Beach a ...

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, in the mid-1980s before fading into obscurity. Florence won the gold medal in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

at the 1986 World Junior Championships and was named "High School Boys Athlete of the Year" by ''

Track & Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, ...

''. That same season, he won the Texas high school class 5A state championship in the 200 meters in 20.5, well ahead of future world record holder Michael Johnson (21.3).

References

External links

* 1968 births Living people American male sprinters Sportspeople from Galveston, Texas World Athletics U20 Championships winners {{US-sprint-athletics-bio-stub