View source for Me'Lisa Barber

{{short description|American sprinter}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Me'Lisa Barber
| image =
| caption =
| fullname =
| height = 
| weight = 
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|October 4, 1980}}
| birth_place = [[Livingston, New Jersey]], U.S.
| headercolor = lightsteelblue
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Women's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 Paris]]|4 × 400 m relay}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 Helsinki]]|4 × 100 m relay}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold | [[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2006 Moscow]] |[[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 60 metres|60 metres]]}}
}}

'''Me'Lisa Barber''' is an American [[Sprint (running)|sprinter]]. After graduating from [[University of South Carolina]], she was the [[2005 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships|2005]] USA Outdoor Champion in the [[100 metres]] and the [[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2006]] World Indoor Champion in the [[60 metres]]. She was also one of the [[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003]] World Champions in the [[4 × 400 metres relay]] and one of the [[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005]] World Champions in the [[4 × 100 metres relay]].

==Life and career==
Barber grew up in [[Montclair, New Jersey]].<ref>[[Frank Litsky|Litsky, Frank]]. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9504E7DC133AF93AA35752C0A9679C8B63 "PLUS: TRACK AND FIELD; Fast Times Eyed At Armory Meet"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 9, 2001. Accessed November 26, 2007. "The 800 to 900 athletes expected to compete in the Armory meet include Miki and Me'Lisa Barber, South Carolina's sprinting twins from Montclair, N.J...."</ref> Her 4 × 100 metre and 4 × 400 metre high school relays with her twin sister, [[Miki Barber|Miki]], at [[Montclair High School (New Jersey)|Montclair High School]] were both honored as All-American.<ref>Bloom, Marc. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00E3DC1431F932A25754C0A96E958260 "Running; Teammates at the Meet, Strangers at Practice"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 11, 1998. Accessed June 14, 2008. "Melisa and Mikele Barber, 17-year-old twins and graduating seniors who are going on to the University of South Carolina, practice under the Montclair coaches Ray Spivey and Doris Ellis at the high school track."</ref> 

Throughout her collegiate career, Barber won four [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] titles. In 2001, while attending the [[University of South Carolina]], she won a gold medal at the [[Universiade|World University Games]] in the [[4 × 400 metres relay]] as part of Team USA. She was made co-captain of the [[South Carolina Gamecocks women's track and field]] team in 2002, when the team won at the [[NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships|NCAA Outdoor Championships]]. During the championships, she ran in place of her sister in the [[400 metres]] due to her sister's injury. Barber graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2002 with a degree in business and retail management. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 400 meters relay as part of Team USA at the [[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 World Championships]] in Paris, and competed in the [[4 × 100 metres relay]] with Team USA at the [[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 World Championships]] in Helsinki.<ref name="gamecocks">{{cite web |last1=Muller |first1=Brad |title=It's Not Easy Keeping Up with Me'Lisa Barber |url=https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2021/3/1/track-and-field-its-not-easy-keeping-up-with-me-lisa-barber.aspx |website=[[South Carolina Gamecocks|University of South Carolina Athletics]] |access-date=March 20, 2022 |language=en |date=March 1, 2021}}</ref> During the [[2005 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships]], she won gold in the [[100 metres]] and placed fourth in the [[200 metres]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elliott |first1=Helene |title=Gatlin Is Double Quick at U.S. Championships |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jun-27-sp-track27-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=March 20, 2022 |language=en |date=June 27, 2005}}</ref> 

At the [[2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships]], she won a gold medal in the [[60 metres]], running the fastest time of that season at 7.01 seconds.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scott, Barber lead U.S. 60-meter sweep at Indoors |url=https://www.espn.com/olympics/news/story?id=2362660 |website=[[ESPN]] |access-date=March 20, 2022 |language=en |date=March 10, 2006}}</ref> Barber left coach [[Trevor Graham]] in 2006 following his involvement in the [[BALCO scandal]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Two sprinters split from Graham |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/two-sprinters-split-from-graham/article1109301/ |website=[[The Globe and Mail]] |access-date=March 20, 2022 |language=en-CA |date=November 8, 2006}}</ref> In 2009, Barber [[Achilles tendon rupture|ruptured her Achilles tendon]] after a drunk driver rear-ended her car in [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and stopped competing for several years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Freeman |first1=Dennis J. |title=Track star Me'Lisa Barber finds honey in the jewelry |url=https://news4usonline.com/2016/09/track-star-melisa-barber-finds-honey-in-the-jewelry/ |website=News4usonline |access-date=March 20, 2022 |language=en |date=September 27, 2016}}</ref>

Barber runs a line of jewelry called The Honey Collection, a juice company, and a personal training company called Body Code. She and her sister also began doing motivational speaking tours in schools in 2018.<ref name="gamecocks" />

==Public image==
[[NJ.com]] selected Barber as one of Montclair High School's four best athletes of all time.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stanmyre |first1=Matthew |title=THE RESULTS ARE IN: Who made Montclair's Mt. Rushmore after 86,000+ votes? |url=https://www.nj.com/hssn-mms/2017/07/mt_rushmore_vote_to_pick_montc.html |website=[[NJ.com]] |access-date=March 20, 2022 |language=en |date=July 11, 2017}}</ref> 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/2008/Barber_Me%27Lisa.asp Me'Lisa Barber, USA T&F]
* {{World Athletics}}

{{Footer World Champions 4 x 100 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions 4 x 400 m Women}}
{{Footer World Indoor Champions 60 m Women}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions 4x400m Women}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions 4x400m Women}}
{{Footer US NC 100m Women}}
{{Footer US NC Indoor 60m Women}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Me'lisa}}
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Livingston, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Montclair High School (New Jersey) alumni]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Montclair, New Jersey]]
[[Category:American female sprinters]]
[[Category:African-American track and field athletes]]
[[Category:American twins]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships winners]]
[[Category:Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:South Carolina Gamecocks women's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from New Jersey]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2001 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportswomen]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportswomen]]