James Walker (born October 1957) 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 ...

hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

. Born in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, he attended

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

from 1976-1980. Walker was one of "The Fabulous Four" along with teammates

Harvey Glance Harvey Edward Glance (born March 28, 1957) is a former American sprint runner. He won gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1976 Olympics, 1987 World Championships, and 1979 and 1987 Pan American Games. Track and field career Glance equaled th ...

, Willie Smith, and Tony Easley; together they set more school and conference records than any other foursome in the history of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

. Walker qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but did not compete due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and its allies later ...

. He did however receive one of 461

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

s created especially for the spurned athletes. James Walker lives in

Madison, Alabama Madison is a city located primarily in Madison County, near the northern border of the U.S. state of Alabama. Madison extends west into neighboring Limestone County. The city is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area, the second-largest ...

Achievements

* Won the gold medal at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

in 1979 in the

400 metre hurdles The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women. On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once ar ...

* SEC's Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 1979 * Until 2005, held the SEC record for the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 48.48 secs in 1979 * In 1977, 1978, 1979 had the best time in the SEC for the 400 meter hurdles (49.58, 51.51, 48.48) *

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I champion, 400 meter hurdles, 1978 and 1979 * In 1976, had the best time in the SEC for the 120 yard hurdles (13.7 secs). * In 1977, 1978, 1979 had the best time for the 110 meter hurdles (13.90, 14.0, 13.70 secs). * In 1978, was the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field champion in the 400 metre hurdles with a time of 49.03 seconds. USA Track & Field, List of 400 meter hurdles champions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, James 1958 births Living people American male hurdlers Auburn Tigers men's track and field athletes Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Congressional Gold Medal recipients Track and field athletes from Atlanta Universiade bronze medalists for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)