Larry Myricks (born 10 March 1956) is an American former athlete, who mainly competed in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

event. He is a two-time winner of the World Indoor Championships (1987, 1989) and a two-time winner of the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

(1979, 1989). He also won a bronze medal at the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, and bronze medals at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 1987 and 1991.

Career

Myricks was born in

Clinton, Mississippi Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 28,100 at the 2020 United States census. History Founded in 1823, Clint ...

. A durable jumper, he first broke onto the track scene in 1976. While competing for

Mississippi College Mississippi College (MC) is a private Baptist university in Clinton, Mississippi. Founded in 1826, MC is the second-oldest Baptist-affiliated college or university in the United States and the oldest college or university in Mississippi. Histor ...

, he was the

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 ...

Champion in the long jump. He followed that with a second place at the U. S. Olympic Trials, beating defending Olympic champion

Randy Williams Randy Lavelle Williams (born August 23, 1953) is an American athlete. Education In high school, Williams attended Edison High School in Fresno, California. He then attended the University of Southern California.

in the process. At the 1976 Olympics, he broke his foot while warming up for the final and was unable to compete. His teammates

Arnie Robinson Arnie Paul Robinson Jr. (April 7, 1948 – December 1, 2020) was an American athlete. He won a bronze medal in the long jump at the 1972 Olympics and a gold medal in 1976. Early life and education Arnie Paul Robinson Jr. was born in San Diego in ...

and Williams finished 1 and 2. The three American jumpers had been easily the top three jumpers in qualifying. In 1979 he won again the NCAA Championship, this time both indoors and outdoors. He was also the US National Champion (27–2), and World Cup Champion (8.52 m). He repeated as U.S. national champion in 1980 and in 1989. He competed for the United States at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

held in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, where he won the bronze medal in the men's long jump competition. In addition to the 1976 Olympics, Myricks won the 1980 Olympic Trials (over a young

Carl Lewis Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996 ...

), the team that did not go to the Olympics 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 ...

. As consolation, he received 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. He finished second to Lewis in the 1984 Olympic Trials.http://www.legacy.usatf.org/usatf/files/69/695a8112-b7a0-4b9d-9dbb-8b4bca22677c.pdf He finished fourth in the Olympics that year. He set his personal best of 8.74 m (28' 8") in the long jump at the 1988 Olympic Trials. That jump still ranks Myricks as the number 5 long jumper ever. It was the trials record, for a few minutes, until surpassed by Carl Lewis. After qualifying for four straight Olympic teams, Myricks returned in 1992 as a 36-year-old to a fifth Olympic Trials, finishing in seventh place. Myricks was the third-place jumper at the

1991 World Championships in Athletics - Men's Long Jump File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, 1991 Russian presidential election, elected as Russia's first President of Russia, president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated ...

when Lewis and Mike Powell were fighting over the world record, what many consider the greatest long jump competition ever. Based on a statistical comparison of 8.16 meters, Myricks had more competitions (170) over that mark than any other competitor. Moving that comparison to 8.50 m, he ranks second (17) to Carl Lewis (39) (as of 1996; since 1996, only 9 jumpers have jumped 8.50). Myricks' last 8.50 in 1991, at the age of 35, is tied with Lewis' mark from the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

as the M35 Masters World Record. He was also a useful 200 m sprinter, with a best of 20.03 s at the US National Championships in 1983 behind his nemesis Carl Lewis, who along with Mike Powell overshadowed him for most of his career. He ran the 200 at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics. Myricks won the U.S. nationals in the 200 meters in 1988. Myricks is also a graduate of

. He was coached there by Joe Walker (now at Ole Miss). Larry Myricks was suspended (May 1990) by the TAC after a positive test for a banned stimulant before the 1990 U.S. Championships. This suspension was extended to a lifetime ban for two subsequent positive tests. He was later reinstated after having served only one year.

International competitions

References

External links

USTAF Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myricks, Larry 1956 births Living people American male long jumpers Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics People from Clinton, Mississippi Track and field athletes from Mississippi World record holders in masters athletics World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Mississippi College alumni Doping cases in athletics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Congressional Gold Medal recipients American masters athletes Goodwill Games medalists in athletics World Athletics Indoor Championships winners Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games