Debbie Dunn (born 26 March 1978) is an American sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. Originally from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, she attended Fairmont Heights High School in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, then

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 ...

, and became an American citizen in 2004. At the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

Dunn set a personal best of 49.95 seconds to qualify for the 400 metres world final. She was a little slower in the final, however, and finished in sixth place. In the 4 x 400 m relay event she finally outpaced everybody, grabbing the gold medal together with teammates Allyson Felix,

Lashinda Demus Lashinda Demus (born March 10, 1983 in Inglewood, California) is a retired American hurdler who specialized in the 400 meter hurdles, an event in which she was the 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, becoming the first woman from ...

and

Sanya Richards Sanya Richards-Ross (née Richards; born February 26, 1985) is a retired Jamaican-American track and field athlete, who competed internationally for the United States in the 400-meter sprint. Her notable accolades in this event include being th ...

. One year later, at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...

, Dunn achieved her first major individual victory by becoming 400 metres world indoor champion. She earned a second gold medal for the 4 x 400 m relay, in which the U.S. team consisting of Dunn,

DeeDee Trotter De'Hashia Tonnek "DeeDee" Trotter (born December 8, 1982 in Twentynine Palms, California) is an American athlete. Trotter is a former NCAA national champion in the 400m, and competed in the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics. There, she was ...

, Natasha Hastings and Allyson Felix finished in 3:27.34. In July 2012, it was announced that she tested positive for a banned substance. In September 2012 she was given a two-year suspension.

Personal bests

* 200 metres – 22.73 s (2009) * 400 metres – 49.64 s (2010)

References

External links

* 1978 births Living people American female sprinters Jamaican emigrants to the United States American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in athletics Jamaican female sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games Norfolk State University alumni World Athletics Championships medalists Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) People from Landover, Maryland Sportspeople from the Washington metropolitan area Track and field athletes from Maryland USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners World Athletics Indoor Championships winners IAAF Continental Cup winners World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists World Athletics Championships winners Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games 21st-century American women {{US-sprint-athletics-bio-stub