We're loving life.". Gail Devers is best known for being a Runner. In 1990, she was diagnosed with Graves' disease and underwent radioactive iodine treatment followed by thyroid hormone replacement therapy. "We go old-school during the summer, like swimming or setting up lemonade stands," Devers says. If it didnt work out, it just didnt work out because it wasnt meant to be, not because I didnt try.. In the final of her favorite event, Devers again failed, as she finished fourth and outside of the medals. She won the 100m race and 100m hurdles at the state championships in 1984, the year she graduated from high school. Counted amongst the fastest female track and field athletes of all time, she is also an inductee of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. Gwen Torrence , 3rd Place, Gail Devers , 1st . Gail Devers. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images CREATIVE They call me Mama Gail.". Devers fingernails are now very short. Her birth sign is Scorpio. Gail turns 56 years old on Nov 19, 2022. Devers and Wyomia Tyus were the only female sprinters to win back-to-back 100 meter titles until Jamaicas Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce accomplished the feat in London. Her great form continued throughout the mid-1990s and she retained her gold medal in the 100m at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Let's find out! You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Gail qualified for the final of the 100 m, which ended in an exciting finish, with 5 women finishing close (within 0.06 seconds). If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. She is definitely a freak of nature. She is the daughter of Larry Devers (father) and Alabe Devers (mother). A 10-time national champion, she also won three World Championships and was runner-up twice from 1991 to 2001. Then in 1990, she ran into her UCLA track team physician for the first time in a while, and she noticed Devers' visible goiter, a swelling of the thyroid in the neck. I dont understand whats going on.. Her amazing performances earned her many offers of athletic scholarships from prestigious institutions and she chose to join University of California at Los Angeles where she trained under the legendary coach Bob Kersee. The 5'3"-inch athlete remembers her hair falling out in clumps and her weight dropping from 125 lbs. Although Devers set a California Interscholastic Federation record in that event, she wanted to sample different events. Earlier this year, Devers took Karsen to an indoor meet in South Carolina to run her first 60-meter dash. Gail Devers and Mike Phillips hang out. 1966-American track and field athlete. With her health stabilized, she started training again to regain her strength in order to be able to return to competitive athletics. You get to the point where it just doesnt work out, but what you can say is that you did your all and you went for as long as you could and thats what I did, Devers said. Im like OK, because they just assume youre going to say, No. I dont back down from a challenge now We can go in the heels, too, not a problem.. She made the U.S. team, but finished eighth in her semifinal at the Olympic Games. It was so disillusioning that I refused to go out because my appearance made people look away. On her first day of training, she got kicked out of her group for running too fast. Then at age 37, Devers again doubled in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, but aggravated a calf injury. Gail Devers is currently single. Gail Devers was born on 19 November, 1966 in Seattle, Washington, United States, is an American athlete. Im known for being close to my hurdles anyway, Devers said. But at her hurdling and sprinting events, her body would not perform. The only name I needed to hear was Mommy, which I probably hear too much now. I love to be able to help that next generation.. [1] (Sweetwater's football and track stadium would later be named Gail Devers Stadium.) "And if I decide to do something, I don't give less than 110 percent to it. At Atlanta she also won a sprint relay gold. Her husband refers to her as "Ms. PTA," in reference to the copious amounts of time she commits to volunteering at the local elementary school, helping out in classrooms and organizing fund-raisers. She really loved the hurdles, said Tyus, who won the event in 1964 and 1968. Ive won a gold medal for myself and for my country. Yolanda Gail Devers is an American retired track and field athlete. Instead, she found out she had thyroid eye disease. "Gail is crazy," Phillips said with a laugh. What Can 50 Naira Do For You In Nigeria Today? I want to do everything that I can to give myself the best advantage., And Devers wants others to do the same. Olympic track star Gail Devers is speaking out about her longtime battle with Graves' disease and thyroid eye disease. She is a two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters for the USA. I remember walking, back, trying to pump myself up and say it doesnt matter, just get there and do what youve got to do, because this is what you came for, she said. She is a member of famous Athlete with the age 56 years old group. She suffered from weight loss, skin discoloration, hair loss, migraines, and other issues but her condition could not be diagnosed. The 55-year-old, three-time Olympic Gold medalist suffered a slew of. My doctor had told the IAAF: 'This is a matter of life and death.' After a false start in her hurdles heat, Devers, who was going over the first hurdle, felt the injury flare up again. She was also the 1993 world champion in the event, becoming the first ever female sprinter to simultaneously hold the world and Olympic titles in the 100m. They were separated during her encounter with the Graves' disease. Her feet swelled so badly and were so painful that she had to crawl to the bathroom. After these Olympics, Devers concentrated on the hurdles event, winning the World Championship again in 1999, but she had to forfeit for the semi-finals at the 2000 Summer Olympics. With the 4 100 m relay team, Devers won her third Olympic gold medal. Since 1991, Gail Devers has been divorced from Ron Roberts. ", Despite the strange symptoms and feeling unusually weak, she made it to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. You cant sit take a lap around the house. She now advocates that people take a simple blood test to identify Graves Disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. Track legend Gail Devers and friend Mike Phillips hang out during Fight Night at the Playboy Mansion on July 15, 2003 in Bel Air, California. Devers' successes were even more impressive given that they came after her well-publicized battle with Graves' disease. Advertisement Article. "My hands were constantly shaking, I had extreme fatigue and my eyes started bothering me," the Olympic gold medalist tells PEOPLE. And for the next three weeks stay away from children and use a separate bathroom.' Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers walks on the blue carpet with her daughters Karsen and Legacy Phillips before being inducted into the. In the 100 m, she is the second woman in history to defend an Olympic 100 m title, winning gold at both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. "I try to teach my kids to make their own fun. Through her various sources of income, Gail has been able to accumulate good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle. But her biggest achievements -- as a mother to two daughters and as a volunteer . Sweetwater's football and track stadium is named Gail Devers Stadium. Sure, Devers made the school's all-time list that year for her 59.26 in the 400 hurdles and 23.12 in the 200 meters. Devers began taking radioactive iodine treatment which destroys the portion of the thyroid that produces hormones. She was diagnosed with Graves disease and underwent intensive treatment, but she miraculously was able to recover and continue her Olympic training for the 1992 Olympics. "Graves' hyperthyroidism can turn a high-functioning, extremely productive individual into a poorly functioning one over a period of weeks to months," says Dr. Henry Burch, M.D., an endocrinologist and cochair for the American Thyroid Association. I had a great pregnancy and I said OK I'm going to come back. [3] In the 100 m hurdles, she was the 1993, 1995 and 1999 world champion, and the 1991 and 2001 world silver medalist. And just 19 months after the diagnosis, she was staring up at the JumboTron in Barcelona's Olympic Stadium, watching the replay of the blanket finish in the 100 meters. She was seen primarily as a hurdler and so was an outsider for the Olympic 100m on the flat in Barcelona, but won the race and, at Atlanta in 1996, she became the first woman to retain the 100m title since 1968. Yolanda Gail Devers is an American retired track and field sprinter who competed in the 60 metres, 60 m hurdles, 100 m and 100 m hurdles. Ron Roberts is the defensive coordinator for Baylor University. We have estimated I won the race. Furthermore, the time bettered the listed World Record for a 40-year-old by almost 7 tenths of a second. RELATIONSHIP DETAILS BELOW Yolanda Gail Devers is an American retired track and field athlete. Ever the courageous soul, she refused to give up to the disease and bravely fought back. She qualified for the final of the 100 m, which ended in an exciting finish, with five women finishing close (within 0.06 seconds). She is from United States. Despite the myriad championship victories, many track fans wonder whether Devers rues the fact that she never won an Olympic medal in her primary event, the 100-meter hurdles. Yolanda Gail Devers (/ d i v r z / DEE -vrz; born November 19, 1966) is an American retired track and field athlete. One day she was sitting in a park and a kid playing nearby asked his mom what was wrong with Devers, saying she "looks like a monster.". I reached the Olympic 100m hurdles final in Barcelona and Atlanta. Three years earlier I had broken the national 100 metres hurdles record while a student at UCLA and was a favourite for the event at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Like many celebrities and famous people, Gail keeps her personal and love life private. Lets find out! She qualified for the Olympics 100 m hurdles, in which she was eliminated in the semi-finals, but her health continued to deteriorate even further. Its finding that happy. She qualified for the final of the 100 m, which ended in an exciting finish, with five women finishing close (within 0.06 seconds). However, she turned the tables by becoming the surprise gold medalist in the 100-meter dash at both Games while missing the podium in the hurdles. Maybe a 5K.. The nightmare had started as I trained for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. (Sweetwater's football and track stadium would later be named Gail Devers Stadium.) I'd always wanted to be a teacher, and I feel I am now. After these Olympics, Devers concentrated on the hurdles event, winning the World Championship again in 1999, but she had to forfeit for the semi-finals at the 2000 Summer Olympics. I was blessed with a long career where I won gold medals for myself and my country. That just lets you know you have great competition and you edged them out., Again, Devers was a favorite going into the hurdles, but she had the slowest start Id ever had, like somebody held me back, said Devers, who was known as a fast starter. "The disease can be mistaken for other disorders, so patients with suggestive symptoms should inquire about the possibility of a thyroid disorder, which can be easily confirmed or excluded with a simple blood test," he adds. They dont ask, Did you win by the skin of your teeth? Tyus said. Karen Rosen is a freelance contributor forTeamUSA.org. In 1993, Devers won the 1993 World Championships in Athletics 100 m title after - again - a photo finish win over Merlene Ottey in an apparent dead heat, and the 100 m hurdles title. While most of her friends' children are high schoolers, Devers says she's "just getting started" on the parenthood track. She qualified for the Olympics 100 m hurdles, in which she was eliminated in the semi-finals, but her health continued to deteriorate even further. Sh That was a record for her age group and only 0.12 off her American record. While Devers may not be a certified teacher, she takes the role of educator seriously, whether it's speaking about Graves' disease or teaching people of all ages how to set worthwhile goals. Devers, was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate and the ceremony will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network on Aug. 23. ), "I always did my best on the day," Devers says of those results. A young talent in the 100 m and 100 m hurdles, Devers was in training for the 1988 Summer Olympics, started experiencing health problems, suffering from among others migraine and vision loss. As of 2023, Gail Devers is possibly single. The 56-year-old American was born in the Year of the Horse and is part of Generation X. Gail Deverss birth sign is Scorpio and she has a ruling planet of Pluto. Amazingly, Devers recovered after the radiation treatment was discontinued, and she resumed training. Now, my life was in danger. Her husband, Mike Phillips, who also volunteers as a jumps coach, has another perspective. With new treatment, Devers recovered. The 1960s was the decade dominated by the Vietnam War, Civil Rights Protests, Cuban Missile Crisis, antiwar protests and saw the assassinations of US President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Spouse/Ex-: Mike Phillips, Ron Roberts (m. 19881991), education: University of California, Los Angeles, Sweetwater High School, See the events in life of Gail Devers in Chronological Order, https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/home/athletes/our-athletes/gail-devers, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/391320655102876405/, http://likesuccess.com/author/gail-devers. He was her previous husband. Devers, 45, still holds the American record of 12.33 seconds, set in 2000. 1991) Husband: Mike Phillips (one daughter) Who are the richest people on earth right now? I think life is about service, and if I have knowledge, what good does it do me if I keep it to myself?, Devers daughters initially werent interested in sports until Karsen joined the school flag football team. "I love teaching them how to put their bodies in a position for speed. She has one elder brother, Parenthesis, who grew up to become a professional bodybuilder. She failed in her two Olympic hurdles finals, but was world champion in 1993 and 1995, then again in 1999, her last major title. And while Devers still has an eye on today's crop of competitors -- she will attend the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials, which begin later this week in Eugene, Ore. -- her attention these days is set squarely on raising her own children, as well as giving motivational speeches to groups of all kinds across the country. But winning that first gold was indescribable. Theyre like, Oh, that means you need to do another one, Devers said. The least compatible signs with Scorpio are generally considered to be Leo and Aquarius. Finally I was diagnosed with Graves' disease, an illness of the thyroid gland. "I don't want anyone to have to go through what I went through," says Devers. At the 1991 World Championships, Gail won a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles, at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Devers starred. Follow on
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