Clarke Finishes Sixth At Olympic Games

Aug. 23, 2004

Athens, Greece (hurricanesports.com) –

Former University of Miami sprinter Davian Clarke placed sixth in the 400-meter final in a personal-best time of 44.83 seconds at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Clarke, competing for <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Jamaica, is participating in his third Olympic Games. This also marked Clarke’s second Olympic final. He reached the 400-meter final in 1996 placing seventh. That year he anchored the Jamaican 4×400-meter relay to the Olympic bronze medal.

Clarke will now focus on the 4×400-meter relay. The Jamaican team is expected to battle the favored United States team for the gold medal. Earlier this season Clarke anchored the Jamaican 4×400-meter relay to the gold medal at the 2004 World Indoor Championships.

Both Jamaica and the United States had three runners reach the men’s 400-meter final. The Americans swept all three medals while the Jamaicans placed fifth, sixth and eighth.

Clarke, who attended PiperHigh School in Sunrise, Florida, was a six-time All-American and won two individual NCAA 400-meter titles while competing for UM from 1995-98. He currently ranks ninth in the World in 400-meters by the IAAF.

The 4×400-meter relay preliminaries are scheduled for August 27 with the final taking place August 28.