View source for Torri Edwards

{{Short description|American sprinter}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Torri Edwards
| image = Torri Edwards.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption =
| nationality = American
| sport = [[Running]]
| event = [[100 meters]], [[200 meters]],
| club =
| collegeteam = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|01|31}}
| birth_place = [[Fontana, California|Fontana]], [[California]]
| residence =
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=4}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Athlete Bio |url=https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/torri-edwards |website=Team USA |access-date=28 January 2024}}</ref>
| weight = {{convert|127|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| pb = 
'''100 m''': 10.78 s
'''200 m''': 22.18 s
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport | Women's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country | the {{USA}} }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze | [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] |[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 Paris]]|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres|100 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold |[[2007 World Championships in Athletics|2007 Osaka]]|4 × 100 m relay}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 Paris]]|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 200 metres|200 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver |[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 Paris]]|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay|4 × 100 m relay]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Silver | [[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships|2003 Birmingham]] |[[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 60 metres|60 metres]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[IAAF World Athletics Final|World Athletics Final]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze |[[2003 IAAF World Athletics Final|2003 Monaco]]|[[2003 IAAF World Athletics Final#Women#100 metres|100 meters]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze |[[2003 IAAF World Athletics Final|2003 Monaco]]|[[2003 IAAF World Athletics Final#Women#200 metres|200 meters]]}}
}}

'''Torri Edwards''' (born January 31, 1977)<ref name="MSN">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=163/bio/index.html|title=Athletes > Torri Edwards> Bio |author=MSN|access-date=2008-09-15 |year=2008 |publisher=NBC Beijing Olympics 2008}}</ref> is an American [[Sprint (running)|sprinter]]. She competes in [[100 metres|100]] and [[200 meters]], winning an Olympic medal in [[4 × 100-meter relay]] in [[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000]]. In 2003, she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold. Edwards competed in the 100&nbsp;m at the [[2008 Olympic Games]].

==Early career==
Edwards states that she began sprinting when she joined her school team in junior high .<ref name="MSN"/> Edwards was an average sprinter when she attended [[Pomona High School (Pomona, California)|Pomona High School]], with her best state meet finish ever coming her senior year when she was fourth in the 200 m. Edwards would then attend the [[University of Southern California]].<ref name=USColympians>[http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/usc/genrel/auto_pdf/uscolympians.pdf USC OLYMPIANS: 1904-2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916190511/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/usc/genrel/auto_pdf/uscolympians.pdf |date=2018-09-16 }}, USC Trojans Athletic Department, Accessed August 26, 2008.</ref>

That track season, she won the Pac-10 titles in both the 100 m and 200 m for USC.<ref name="MSN"/>
She states:

<blockquote>Not until I got to college did I realize that I could be good,...Winning the Pac-10 titles gave me a big boost in confidence, and I found myself setting higher and higher goals.<ref name="MSN"/></blockquote>

==Doping ban==
She was banned for two years effective from July 18, 2004, missing the [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Summer Olympics]]. In August 2004, Edwards appealed the ban, and an arbitration panel acknowledged that Edwards "conducted herself with honesty, integrity and character ... she has not sought to gain any improper advantage or to 'cheat' in any way."<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/media/acrobat/2006-12/26797863.pdf]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In November 2005, her two-year ban was shortened to 15 months when the World Anti-Doping Agency downgraded nikethamide infractions to maximum one-year suspensions.<ref name="MSN"/> The drug had come from pills she had taken at a meet in Martinique to combat a minor illness. Though arbitrators decided Edwards had taken the drug inadvertently, saying in their ruling that she had conducted herself with "honesty, integrity and character," they did not overturn the suspension, because the glucose tablets given to her by her doctor contained a warning for athletes advising that the pills could cause a positive doping test.<ref name="MSN"/> Therefore, Edwards did not take performance enhancement drugs to improve her performance.<ref name="MSN"/><ref>[http://www.usada.org/testing/results/sanctions/ USADA Sanctions]. USADA. Retrieved on 2015-01-23.</ref>

However, since Edwards was a teammate of [[Marion Jones]] in the 2000 Olympic 4 × 100 meters relay, she was stripped of her medal following Jones's admission to using steroids during the games, though she and 6 other members of the 2000 team would successfully appeal this decision in July 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=5385884|title=US relay runners win Olympic medals appeal|agency=Associated Press|date=April 10, 2008|publisher=ESPN}}</ref>

==Personal bests==
*[[100 meters]] - 10.78 (2008)
*[[200 meters]] - 22.28 (2003

==2008 Olympics==
At the [[2008 Olympics|2008 Olympic finals]] for the women's 100 meters, Edwards stated that she thought she had [[false started]] and apparently hesitated, believing that the officials were going to call a false start.

Edwards eventually finished eighth place with a time of 11.20, an under-par performance for the American sprinter, who has a best time of 10.78. Edwards states:

<blockquote>I thought I moved before the gun,...I kind of hesitated because I expected to hear a second gun. It threw me off a lot. It's pretty tough.</blockquote>

However, Edwards actually had a reaction time of 0.179 seconds, which was not the fastest or the slowest of the eight runners.<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/oly08/results/eventCode=3659/racedate=08-17-2008/sex=W/discCode=100/combCode=hash/roundCode=f/results.html#det 100 Metres - Women's Final]. ''[[IAAF]]''. 17 August 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008</ref> It is possible, therefore, that Edwards had not applied enough pressure on the blocks to trigger a false start warning, however she twitched her upper body, but possibly left her feet solid."<ref>[https://archive.today/20080902054647/http://in.reuters.com/article/worldOfSport/idINIndia-35053220080818?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0 When is a false start not a false start?]. ''Reuters India''. August 18, 2008. Retrieved August 24. 2008</ref>

Another disappointment came in the 4 × 100 m relay when the American team dropped the baton in the semi-final due to a misunderstanding between Edwards, on the top bend, and [[Lauryn Williams]] on the anchor leg. Williams picked up the baton to finish the race in last place, but the USA was disqualified because she had had to run out of her lane in order to retrieve the baton.

==International competitions==
{| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
|-
|2000
|[[Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]]
|[[Sydney, Australia]]
|bgcolor="CC9966" | 3rd
|4 × 100 m relay
|DQ - doping by [[Marion Jones]]
|-
|rowspan=6|2003
|[[2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships|World Indoor Championships]]
|[[Birmingham]], United Kingdom
|bgcolor="silver"| 2nd
|60 m
|
|-
|rowspan=3|[[2003 World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]
|rowspan=3|[[Paris]], France
|bgcolor="gold"| 1st
|100 m
| 10.93 PB
|-
|bgcolor="silver"| 2nd
|200 m
|
|-
|bgcolor="silver"| 2nd
|4 × 100 m relay
|
|-
|rowspan=2|[[2003 IAAF World Athletics Final|World Athletics Final]]
|rowspan=2|[[Monte Carlo]], Monaco
|bgcolor="CC9966"| 3rd
|100 m
|
|-
|bgcolor="CC9966"| 3rd
|200 m
|
|-
|2008
|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Beijing]], China
|8th
|[[Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres|100 m]]
|}

==Coaching career==
Torri Edwards was a sprint track coach at [[North Carolina State University]] from 2017 - 2022.

Torri Edwards was named head track coach at [[Kentucky State University]] from August 2015 - 2020.<ref>[https://ksuthorobreds.com/sports/womens-indoor-track/roster/coaches/torri-edwards/300 TORRI EDWARDS TITLE Head Men's and Women's Cross Country/Track and Field Coach - Torri Edwards joined the Kentucky State staff in 2015 as the head men's and women's track and field and cross country coach.] [[Kentucky State Thorobreds and Thorobrettes]]</ref>

She worked seasons with the UK [[Kentucky Wildcats]] track and field programs from 2013 - 2015.

Coach Edwards served as an assistant coach in the [[Riverside Community College]] track and field program. While serving as an assistant at RCC, Edwards helped the men's track and field team capture conference and state titles in 2012 and 2013.

Edwards most recently worked as a volunteer assistant at [[Cal Poly Pomona]] the past two years (2012-2014). She helped Angela Garcia reach the [[NCAA Division II]] [[NCAA Division II women's outdoor track and field championships|National Championships]] in just her first collegiate season of track and field. Garcia also earned All-West Region honors for her work in the 100- and 200-meter events.<ref>[https://broncoathletics.com/sports/mens-track-and-field/roster/coaches/torri-edwards/178 TORRI EDWARDS TITLE Assistant Coach -- Track & Field] [[Cal Poly Pomona Broncos]]</ref> At the 2013 [[California Collegiate Athletic Association]] (CCAA) Track & Field Championships, CPP placed second on the men's side for the best finish since 2006 while the women finished third to mark the first top-three result in more than a decade. The two teams combined for six individual conference champions while 25 Broncos received All-CCAA honors.

==See also==
*[[List of doping cases in athletics]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Torri Edwards}}
*{{World Athletics}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313190442/http://www.usolympicteam.com/26_1353.htm |title=Torri Edwards at the United States Olympic Team |date=mdy}}
*{{Olympedia}}
*{{Olympics.com profile}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEMfTZUxtxc Torri Edwards wins Nike Prefontaine Classic, in Eugene, Oregon]

{{Footer World Champions 100 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions 4 x 100 m Women}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions 4x100m Women}}
{{Footer US NC 100m Women}}
{{Footer US NC 200m Women}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2000 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 2008 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Torri}}
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American female sprinters]]
[[Category:African-American track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:Doping cases in athletics]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists]]
[[Category:American sportspeople in doping cases]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from California]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:USC Trojans women's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1999 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Olympic female sprinters]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportswomen]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportswomen]]