Marlon Ronald Devonish, (born 1 June 1976) is an English former sprinter who competed in the 100 metres and 200 metres. A prodigious relay runner with particular strength as a 'bend' runner, Devonish ran the third leg for the Great Britain quartet which won the 4 × 100 metres at the 2004 Olympic Games, and won four World Championship medals in the same event in 1999, 2005, 2007 and 2009. With further relay gold medals at European and Commonwealth Games level, his sole senior individual international championship gold was achieved indoors, winning the 200 metres event at the World Indoors championship in 2003.
Early life Devonish attended Caludon Castle School in Coventry, where his athletic talent was first discovered by his P.E. teacher Timothy Coleman who took him to Coventry Godiva Harriers athletics club.
Career He is a member of the Coventry Godiva Harriers athletics club and was coached by Tony Lester. Early in his career he was successful at both 100 and 200-metre distances, winning English Schools and European Junior titles at both, but in later years he concentrated mostly on the longer distance. He was also a regular member of both the British and, at the Commonwealth Games, English 4 × 100-metre sprint relay teams, to some considerable success. He is a current Commonwealth Games record holder in the relay event.
The most notable achievement of his career came at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. There Devonish, along with Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell and Mark Lewis-Francis, won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m. relay, where the quartet defeated the pre-race favourites, United States team, by just 0.01 seconds, in a season's best of 38.07.
At the British Championships (and team trials for the 2006 European Championships) in July 2006, Devonish became the first man since Linford Christie in 1988 to win both the 100 m and 200 m races at the event.Devonish storms to sprint double. BBC Sport (16 July 2006). Retrieved on 13 May 2009. At the championship finals, he took the bronze medal in the 200 m.
Devonish retained his 100 m title at the British Championships the following year. For the 2007 season Devonish improved his performance in the 100 m with a new personal best and competed in this event at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka rather than the 200 m which he had previously specialised in. Devonish finished 6th in the 100 m final.
Devonish represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He competed at the 4 × 100 metres relay together with Simeon Williamson, Tyrone Edgar and Craig Pickering. In their qualification heat they were disqualified and eliminated. He also took part in the 200 metres individual, finishing first with a time of 20.49 seconds in his first round heat. With 20.43 seconds in his second round he only placed fourth in his heat, but his time was among the four best losing times and enough to qualify for the semi-finals. There he came to 20.57 seconds and the seventh time in his race, which was not enough for the final.
He competed at the 2009 Manchester City Games, finishing second in the 150 metres final in 15.07 seconds. He was beaten by Usain Bolt who ran a world best-beating time.Superb Bolt storms to 150m record. BBC Sport (17 May 2009). Retrieved on 17 May 2009.
On 22 August 2009, Devonish was a member of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland men's 4 × 100 m relay team that took bronze at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin with a season's best of 38.02. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Simeon Williamson and Tyrone Edgar ran the other legs.
Devonish was a five-times British 200 metres champion after winning the British AAA Championships title in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2006 and the 2007 British Athletics Championships.
Post-athletics On 16 July 2013, Devonish was brought in as sprint coach for Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester.
On 8 January 2018, Devonish started working for the British International School Shanghai located in Puxi, Shanghai, China as their elite athlete performance coach in residence.
International competition record Representing and 1994World Junior ChampionshipsLisbon, Portugal1st (h)Competed only in the heat.4 × 100 m relay39.921995European Junior ChampionshipsNyíregyháza, Hungary1st200 m21.041st4 × 100 m relay39.431996European Indoor ChampionshipsStockholm, Sweden11th (sf)200 m21.861997European U23 ChampionshipsTurku, Finland3rd100 m10.32 w (+2.8 m/s)1st4 × 100 m relay38.99World ChampionshipsAthens, Greece35th (qf)100 m10.376th (h)4 × 100 m relay38.471998European ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary5th100 m10.241st (h)4 × 100 m relay38.47Commonwealth GamesKuala Lumpur, Malaysia8th100 m10.221st4 × 100 m relay38.20World CupJohannesburg, South Africa1st4 × 100 m relay38.091999European CupParis, France1st4 × 100 m relay38.16World ChampionshipsSeville, Spain7th (sf)200 m20.252nd4 × 100 m relay37.732000Olympic GamesSydney, Australia27th (sf)200 m20.82 –4 × 100 m relayDQ2001World ChampionshipsEdmonton, Canada8th200 m20.38 –4 × 100 m relayDNFGoodwill GamesBrisbane, Australia4th200 m20.741st4 × 100 m relay38.712002Commonwealth GamesManchester, United Kingdom2nd200 m20.191st4 × 100 m relay38.62European ChampionshipsMunich, Germany3rd200 m20.24 –4 × 100 m relayDQWorld CupMadrid, Spain3rd200 m relay20.326th4 × 100 m relay39.232003World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom1st200 m20.62World ChampionshipsParis, France –4 × 100 m relayDQ2004Olympic GamesAthens, Greece1st4 × 100 m relay38.072005World ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland14th (sf)100 m10.2412th (sf)200 m20.933rd4 × 100 m relay38.272006Commonwealth GamesMelbourne, Australia8th100 m10.3012th (sf)200 m20.93 –4 × 100 m relayDNF4th4 × 400 m relay3:02.01European ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden3rd200 m20.541st4 × 100 m relay38.91World CupAthens, Greece2nd4 × 100 m relay38.4512007World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan6th100 m10.143rd4 × 100 m relay37.902008Olympic GamesBeijing, China13th (sf)200 m20.571st4 × 100 m relayDQ2009World ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany12th (sf)200 m20.623rd4 × 100 m relay38.022010European ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain4th200 m20.629th (h)4 × 100 m relay39.49Commonwealth GamesDelhi, India5th200 m20.751st4 × 100 m relay38.742011World ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea16th (sf)100 m10.254th (h)4 × 100 m relay38.292 1Representing Europe 2Did not finish in the final
Personal bests
Distance Time Wind Location Date 100 m 10.06 sec + 1.3 m/s Lausanne 10 July 2007 200 m 20.19 sec + 1.4 m/s Manchester 29 July 2002
References
External links
'Marlon hails sprint revival' – BBC.co.uk, 29 August 2004