Former Clemson Track And Field Stars To Compete At 2004 Olympic Games

Aug. 12, 2004

Nine former Clemson track and field standouts will represent seven countries at the 2004 Olympic Games. Seven Tigers and two Lady Tigers will compete for the USA, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Liberia, Sudan and Trinidad and Tobago in Athens beginning on Aug. 20. The former Tigers and Lady Tigers include Charles Allen, Shawn Crawford, Jacey Harper, Ato Modibo, Todd Matthews, Duane Ross, Sultan Tucker, Michelle Burgher and Cydonie Mothersill.

Charles Allen will compete for Canada in the 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and as a member of the 4x100m relay. This is Allen’s second Olympic Games, as he competed for Guyana in 2000. Allen is the Guyanese record holder in the 110m hurdles, but became a Canadian citizen in 2002. He is a two-time Canadian champion, having captured the 110m hurdles title at the 2002 and 2004 Canadian Championships. While competing for the Tigers, Allen was a five-time All-American in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. He was a member of the Tigers’ 1999 NCAA Indoor Champion 4x400m relay team and is a member of Clemson’s school record-holding outdoor 4x200m relay team.

The 2004 US Olympic Trials Champion in the 200m, Shawn Crawford will compete in three events for Team USA in Athens. Besides his title in the 200m, Crawford placed third in the 100m at the trials, and will run on the USA’s 4x100m relay team. Crawford recorded the world’s fastest time in the 100m in 2004 at the Prefontaine Classic, clocking a 9.88 to win the event. He was the 2001 USA Outdoor 200m champion and the world indoor 200m champion. Crawford also won the 200m at the Goodwill Games in 2001 and tied for the world outdoor 200m bronze medal. As a Tiger, Crawford was the 1998 and 2000 NCAA Indoor 200m champion, as well as the 2000 NCAA Outdoor 200m champion. He set the American 200m indoor record at the NCAA Championships in his win in 2000. Crawford completed his career as a five-time All-American and 11-time ACC Champion. He was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary team in 2003 and is Clemson’s all-time indoor 200m record holder while ranking second in the outdoor 200m.

Jacey Harper is making his second appearance at the Olympic Games, representing Trinidad and Tobago. In 2000, Harper competed in the 100m and as a member of the 4x100m relay team, and will compete on the relay teams for Trinidad and Tobago in 2004. He was the 2003 Sagicor National Open Senior Championship 100m champion and a member of the 4x100m relay team that won the CAC Senior Track and Field Meet in Grenada, setting a meet record of 39.70. While competing for Clemson, Harper was a 2002 NCAA Outdoor All-American as a member of the Tigers’ 4x100m relay team that finished second in the meet. He made nine appearances at the NCAA Championships and won 11 ACC titles during his collegiate career. Harper is a member of the Clemson record-holding indoor 4x400m and outdoor 4x100m relay teams.

Another two-time Olympian for Trinidad and Tobago, Ato Modibo will compete in the 400m and as a member of the 4x400m relay in Athens. This year, Modibo recorded first-place finishes in the 400m at the National Senior Championships and the Sagicor Trinidad and Tobago Championships. In 2003, he placed third in the 400m at the Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Championships. During Modibo’s career at Clemson, he was the 1999 NCAA Indoor 400m champion and a member of the Tigers’ 1999 NCAA Indoor championships 4x400m relay team. Modibo was a six-time All-American and eight-time ACC Champion. He is Clemson’s all-time leader in the 400m outdoor, and is a member of the Tigers’ top 4x400m indoor and outdoor teams as well as 4x200m relay team.

Todd Matthews will compete in his first Olympics as a member of the Sudan team. A 110m hurdler, Matthews won the event at the African Championships this year. In 2003, he was the 110m hurdles champion at the EAP in Loughborough and at the Afro Asian Games. He placed second in the high hurdles at the Euro Meetings. While competing for Clemson, Matthews earned five NCAA All-America honors and was a three-time ACC Champion. He ranks third on Clemson’s all-time list in the 110m hurdles.

Fellow former Tiger hurdler Duane Ross will also make his first appearance at the Olympic Games in 2004. The 1995 NCAA 110m hurdle champion finished second in the event at this year’s Olympic Trials to earn his spot on Team USA. In 2003, Ross won four 110m hurdle crowns and was ranked fifth in the world and third in the USA. He captured the bronze medal in the 110m hurdles at the 1999 World Outdoor Championships and finished second at USA Outdoors that same year. Ross was a seven-time All-American and five-time ACC Champion for Clemson, and completed his career as the Tigers’ all-time leader in the 55m hurdles, 60m hurdles and 110m hurdles. He was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Team in 2003.

Sultan Tucker will also compete in the high hurdles, representing Liberia in his first Olympic Games. Tucker recorded his best finish of the 2003 season at the Holmdel International, placing third. He also took third in the African Championships in the 110m hurdles in 2002, and placed sixth in the event at the Penn Relays. While at Clemson, Tucker earned three All-America accolades in the 60m hurdles. He was a four-time ACC Champion and ranks second in school history in the 60m hurdles. Tucker was also named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Team.

Michelle Burgher will represent Jamaica in the 4x400m relay team in this year’s Olympic Games. Burgher was also a member of the 2000 Jamaican Olympic team, competing in the 4x400m relay team that earned silver. In 2004, she was a member of the 4x400m relay team that finished fifth at the World Indoor Championships, and was a member of the bronze medal 1600m relay team at the 2003 World Championships. Burgher won gold at the 2001 World Championships on the Jamaican 4x400m relay team, after winning the 2001 NCAA Championship in that event for Clemson. The Lady Tigers’ 2001 relay team also finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Burgher was a four-time ACC Champion and member of three Clemson record-holding relay teams in the 4x400m indoor, 4x100m and 4x400m outdoor. She ranks third in the 400m outdoor.

Cydonie Mothersill is making her second appearance at the Olympic Games, as she was also a member of the 2000 team for the Cayman Islands. In 2004, she won the 200m title at three meets, including the Brazil Grand Prix, the Sagicor Trinidad and Tobago Championships and the IAAF Madrid Grand Prix. She was the 2003 CAC Senior Track and Field Meet champion in the 200m in Grenada and finished second at the Pan American Games in the 200m. As a Lady Tiger, Mothersill was a two-time NCAA Champion, winning the 200m indoor and 4x400m relay outdoor in 2001. Overall, she was a four-time All-American and six-time ACC Champion. Mothersill is a member of the Clemson record-holding 4x100m and indoor and outdoor 4x400m relay teams. She also holds the school records in the 100m and 200m indoor and outdoor, and was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary team.