View source for Michael Marsh (sprinter)

{{short description|American sprinter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Michael Marsh
| image = 
| image_size = <!--Only for images narrower than 220 pixels.-->
| caption = 
| nationality = {{flag|USA|name=American}}
| residence = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|08|04}}
| birth_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| height = {{convert|5|ft|10|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
| weight = {{convert|150|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}}
| sport = [[Running]]
| event = [[100 metres]], [[200 metres]]
| collegeteam = [[UCLA Bruins]]
| club = [[Santa Monica Track Club]]
| pb = 
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | Men's [[athletics (sport)|athletics]] ([[track and field]])}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold | [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metres|200 metres]]}}
{{MedalGold | 1992 Barcelona | [[Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 metres relay]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 metres relay]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[1991 World Championships in Athletics|1991 Tokyo]] | [[1991 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 metres relay]]}}
| show-medals = 
}}

'''Michael Lawrence Marsh''' (born August 4, 1967) is a retired [[United States|American]] [[Sprint (running)|sprinter]], the 1992 [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] champion in the [[200 metres|200 m]].

==Biography==
Marsh was born in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], and attended high school at [[Hawthorne High School (Hawthorne, California)|Hawthorne High School]] in [[Hawthorne, California]] where he was overshadowed by [[Henry Thomas (athlete)|Henry Thomas]], who he joined on numerous championship relays. Marsh, Thomas, Michael Graham and Sean Kelly joined to bring Hawthorne the [[United States high school national records in track and field|National High School Record]] in the [[4 × 400 metres relay|4 × 400&nbsp;m relay]] set at the [[Texas Relays]]. The team joined to celebrate the silver anniversary of the record in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_15180426 |title=Hawthorne's 25-year-old national mark in 4x400 relay stands test of time - the Daily Breeze |website=www.dailybreeze.com |access-date=May 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130120060042/http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_15180426 |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> When Thomas was sidelined with an [[Vermiform appendix|appendix attack]], requiring surgery just before the qualification cycle, Marsh won the 1985 [[CIF California State Meet]] in the 200&nbsp;m.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |title=California State Meet Results – 1915 to present |publisher=Hank Lawson |access-date=2012-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092406/http://www.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm |archive-date=2014-10-06 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He continued running with Thomas at [[UCLA]], his best achievement was a third place at the [[NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship|NCAA Championships]]. He was inducted into the [[UCLA Bruins#UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame|UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame]] in 2016.

Although Marsh could compete with the national class sprinters, he did not manage to qualify for an international event until 1991, when he qualified for the American relay team for the [[1991 World Championships in Athletics|1991 World Championships]]. Marsh ran in the heats on a team that set the Championship record, but not in the final, which was won by the Americans in World Record time. The next year, Marsh posted a time of 9.93s into a wind of 0.6&nbsp;m/s at the [[Mt. SAC Relays]] in Walnut, which using a widely accepted wind/altitude correction calculator adjusted to the fastest ever intrinsic [[100 metres|100 m]] time recorded at that time in history. That was the second of what became a trend, a succession of eight early season outstanding 100&nbsp;m marks set by Marsh at the Mt. SAC Relays. Marsh was elected into the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame in 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtsacrelays.com/archives/HallFame/Marsh.htm |title=Mike Marsh |website=www.mtsacrelays.com}}</ref>

At the 1992 [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|US Olympic Trials]], Marsh disappointingly finished fourth in the 100&nbsp;m, not enough for individual qualification, but sufficient to make the relay team. In the 200&nbsp;m, he placed second to [[Michael Johnson (athlete)|Michael Johnson]] and qualified for the [[1992 Summer Olympics|Barcelona Olympics]],.

In [[Barcelona]], Marsh surprised all observers in his semi-final. He cruised through the race, simply securing qualification for the final. His qualifying time, however, was 19.73, just one hundredth of a second slower than the standing [[world record]] (and it was the [[United States records in track and field|American Record]]). This run was remarkable for the fact that he eased off ten metres from the line, stating in later interviews that he hadn't realised how fast he was running and wanted to save some energy for the final, which was to be held only a few hours later. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwKJivryvww See the race]. Unofficial split analysis from video of that run indicates he would have run faster than the world record at the time, [[Pietro Mennea]]'s altitude-assisted 19.72s, if he hadn't eased off. An improvement of this record was anticipated for the final, but Marsh could not live up to those expectations. He did win the race however, beating early leader [[Frankie Fredericks]] of [[Namibia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-07-sp-4796-story.html |title=Barcelona '92 OLYMPICS / DAY 13 : Marsh Swamps 200 Field : Track and field: It's slower than his semifinal time, but he won't throw back the gold medal. |first=MIKE |last=DOWNEY |date=August 7, 1992 |via=LA Times}}</ref> He did set a world record in the final of the 4 × 100&nbsp;m, as the American team completed the race in 37.40.

As the reigning Olympic champion, he surprisingly did not medal in the 200&nbsp;m at the [[1993 World Championships in Athletics|1993 World Championships]], placing fourth. His 1994 season went without a win, but he did lead off the [[Santa Monica Track Club]]'s [[4 × 200 metres relay|4 × 200&nbsp;m relay]] at the [[Mt. SAC Relays]] when the team of Marsh, [[Leroy Burrell]], [[Floyd Heard]] and [[Carl Lewis]] set a [[World records in athletics|world record]] in the event that would stand until 2014. He returned strongly in 1995. He won the national championships in the 100&nbsp;m, and represented his country in that event at the World Championships. There, he disappointed, finishing fifth in the final. The disappointment was complete when the relay team failed to finish the heats after a bad exchange.

In 1996, Marsh managed to qualify for all three sprint events at the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], and he reached the final of all three. In the 100&nbsp;m, he placed fifth and in his attempt to retain his 200&nbsp;m title (which was taken by Johnson in a new world record time) he finished last. The American relay team, with Marsh as the third runner, was heavily favoured to take the 4 × 100&nbsp;m title, but they were surprised by the [[Canadians|Canadian]] team in the final, and had to settle for [[Silver medal|silver]].

He again qualified for the 100&nbsp;m final at the [[1997 World Championships in Athletics|1997 World Championships]], where he placed last due to a foot injury that required immediate surgery.

In 2021 he was elected into the [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatf.org/news/2021/usatf-announces-2021-hall-of-fame-class |title=USA Track & Field &#124; USATF announces 2021 Hall of Fame class}}</ref>

===Track records===
As of September 2024, Marsh holds the following track records for 100 metres and 200 metres.

====100 metres====
{| class="wikitable" style= "text-align: center"
|-
!Location
!Time
!Windspeed<br>m/s
!Date
|-
| [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] || 10.01 || +0.2 || 17/06/2000
|-
| [[San Jose, California]] || 9.99 || +2.2 || 30/05/1992
|}

====200 metres====
{| class="wikitable" style= "text-align: center"
|-
!Location
!Time
!Windspeed<br>m/s
!Date
!Notes
|-
| [[Barcelona]] || 19.73<br>PB || –0.2 || 05/08/1992 || Former sea-level WR,<br>Olympic record and [[List of North, Central American and Caribbean records in athletics|AR]]
|-
| [[Sestriere]] || 19.79 || +4.0 || 21/07/1992 ||
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.legacy.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/1997/marsh.asp Michael Marsh] at [[USATF]]
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{Olympics.com|michael-marsh|org_archive=20210124061856}}
* {{Olympedia}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|ach}}
{{succession box
| before = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Michael Johnson (athlete)|Michael Johnson]]
| title = [[200 metres#Men's Seasons Best|Men's 200&nbsp;m Best Year Performance]]
| years = 1992
| after = {{flagicon|NAM}} [[Frankie Fredericks]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 200 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Men|1992}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions 4x100 m Men}}
{{Footer US NC 100m Men}}
{{Footer US NC 200m Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1992 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1996 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2024 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer 2023 World Athletics Championships Team USA Track & Field}}
{{Footer 2023 Pan American Games Team USA Track & Field}}
{{Footer Team USA Track & Field 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Michael}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American track and field athletes]]
[[Category:American male sprinters]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:UCLA Bruins men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Hawthorne, California]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Hawthorne High School (California) alumni]]