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Félix Sánchez (born August 30, 1977) is a retired Dominican-American
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
athlete. He is of Dominican descent, was born and raised in the United States, and competed for the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
, specializing in the 400 meter hurdles. He is a two-time Olympic
gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
list, winning gold in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
and
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, and was also World Champion in
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
and
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
. Just before turning 36, he set the Masters M35 World Record with a time of 48.10. Sanchez acquired many nicknames: "Super Felix", "the Invincible", "Superman", and "the Dictator". The Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium, Dominican Republic’s largest stadium, is named after him. Sánchez retired in April 2016, citing the recent birth of his son.


Early life and college

Sánchez was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to Dominican-born parents and was raised in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He attended University City High School and San Diego Mesa College in the city, and then went on to study psychology at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
in 1998. Competing for University of Southern California's
USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...
, he was a
Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...
champion (400 m hurdles) and
All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
relay champion (1600 m) in 1999.


Professional career

Sánchez opted to represent the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
internationally, and made his debut for that nation in the Pan American games in 1999. Between 2001 and 2004 he won 43 races in a row at 400 m hurdles, including the
2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
and 2003 World Championships. He won a share of the Golden League million dollar-jackpot in 2002 after winning all 7 races. At the
2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games, officially the XIV Pan American Games () and commonly known as Santo Domingo 2003, were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the Games was made in the mid-1990 ...
, Sánchez won the Dominican Republic's first gold medal at the competition and also broke the Pan American Games record in the 400 m hurdles. He was named ''
Track and 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 (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includ ...
'' Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 2003. Subsequently, he won the first ever Olympic
gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...
for the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
on August 28, 2004, during the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
in
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,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. During his 43-race winning streak, from 2001 to 2004, Sánchez was known for wearing a wristband while competing. The red flashing wristband, a souvenir from the 2000 Olympics, served as a motivation for him after failing to advance to the final in Sydney. After winning the Olympic gold medal in Athens 2004, Sánchez gave the wristband to the IAAF for auction and the profits were donated to charity. In his first race after the Olympics – and his first race without the wristband – at the Van Damme Memorial meet in Brussels, Sánchez injured his leg and had to abandon the race halfway through. In 2012, at the age of 34, Sánchez entered the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. He posted the fastest qualifying time, and won the final with a time of 47.63 seconds, the same as his winning time in Athens in 2004 and his fastest run for eight years. Sánchez became the oldest man to win the Olympic 400m hurdles title. He was the only Olympic medalist for the Dominican Republic until 45 minutes after his second gold medal, when Luguelín Santos picked up a silver medal in the
400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...
. For his performance in London, Sanchez was awarded the Laureus World Comeback of the Year. Sánchez announced his retirement in April 2016 at the age of 38, citing the recent birth of a son. He did not compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.


Competition record


References


External links

*
2004 interview and profile
in ''Open Your Eyes'' magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Felix 1977 births Living people American male hurdlers American sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2015 Pan American Games Dominican Republic male hurdlers Dominican Republic male sprinters San Diego Mesa Olympians men's track and field athletes Laureus World Sports Awards winners Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for the Dominican Republic Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic gold medalists for the Dominican Republic Pan American Games bronze medalists for the Dominican Republic Pan American Games gold medalists for the Dominican Republic Pan American Games gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the Dominican Republic Track and field athletes from New York City Track and field athletes from San Diego USC Trojans men's track and field athletes World Athletics Championships athletes for the Dominican Republic World Athletics Championships medalists Goodwill Games medalists in athletics IAAF Golden League winners Track & Field News Athlete of the Year winners Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for the Dominican Republic Competitors at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games World Athletics Championships winners Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Goodwill Games gold medalists in athletics San Diego Mesa College alumni NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century Dominican Republic sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen