RALEIGH, N.C. - Three athletes from Saint Augustine's College won gold medals in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, all members of the same 4x400-meter relay. Kenny Brokenburr ('93) and Jerome Young ('00) ran in the preliminary heats of the relay, while Antonio Pettigrew ('93) teamed with Michael Johnson, Calvin Harrison and Alvin Harrison to win gold for the United States in the finals of the event.
"This is a dream come true," Brokenburr said. "We have been working hard and training hard for this for a very long time."
In addition to the gold medallists, four other athletes from Saint Augustine's competed in the summer games. Gabriel Burnett ('00) represented Barbados in the men's 110-meter high hurdles; Karlene Haughton ('96) represented Canada in the 4x400-meter relay; Florencia Hunt, a senior, represented Netherlands-Antilles in the women's 800 meters; and Tanya Oxley, a senior, represented Barbados in the women's 400-meters and 4x400-meter relay.
Saint Augustine's also was well represented in the coaching ranks. Trevor Graham ('89) and John Burks ('90) of Sprint Capitol served as coaches for many Olympic athletes, including Marion Jones, La Tasha Colander-Richardson, Tim Montgomery, Brokenburr, Pettigrew and Young. Rupert Gardiner ('82) served as coach for the Bahamas women's 4x100-meter relay team that won the gold medal.
The legendary George Williams has been the track and field coach at Saint Augustine's College since 1975. During that time Saint Augustine's has produced numerous world-class athletes, won 19 national championships and graduated 95 percent of the track and field athletes recruited by Williams. Williams boasts a long list of accomplishments, including numerous NCAA National Coach of the Year honors, serving as an assistant coach at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta and acting as head coach for men's track and field team at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain.