Kim Collins

Kim Collins (born 5 April 1976) is a track and field sprinter from Saint Kitts and Nevis. In 2003, he became the World Champion in the 100 m. He represented his country at the Summer Olympics on six occasions, from 1996 to 2016, and was the country's first athlete to ever reach an event final. He has also competed at eight consecutive editions of the World Championships, beginning in 1997 and up to 2011. He competed again in 2015 in Beijing. After falling out with his country's Olympic officials for an unsanctioned meeting with his wife at a London hotel, Collins was dropped from the Saint Kitts and Nevis team before the 100m heats at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Collins was the bronze medallist over 200 m at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and became the 100 m champion at the 2002 Commonwealth Games with a run of 9.98 seconds, breaking the 10-second barrier. He won a silver medal over 60 metres at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships, before going on to take his outdoor crown. He also won sprint medals at the 2005 World Championships, 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships and 2011 World Championships. He set a new personal and national record for the 100m on 4 July 2013 with a time of 9.97 in Lausanne at the diamond league. At age 37, the time equalled the masters M35 age division world record of Linford Christie, who was two years younger when he set the record. On 10 July 2013 he ran under ten seconds for the sixth time, clocking 9.99 in Budapest. A year later, on 20 July 2014 in London, Collins took the Masters record for his own, pending ratification, lowering the National record to 9.96. While the 9.96 will remain as the M35 World Record, at age 40 years, 54 days, in a new age category, Collins improved his national record to 9.93 +1.9 at the NRW Gala in Bottrop, Germany. He is the first man over age 40 to break the 10 second barrier. This yet again extended his own record as the oldest man to run a sub 10 second 100m, which continues with each sub-10 performance.
On 17 February 2015, Collins ran the indoor 60 metres in 6.47, improving upon his own Masters M35 World Record as well as improving on his own National Record. Collins competed in the 4x100m at the London anniversary games on 23rd July 2016.

Collins competed in college for Texas Christian University. He competed on behalf of his country in the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics.

Collins made his debut at major championship at the 1996 Olympics, where he qualified for the second round in the 100 m. He improved quickly, and at the 2000 Summer Olympics, he became the first athlete from his nation to qualify for an Olympic final, finishing 7th in the 100 m. The next year, Collins would win St. Kitts' first World Championship medal, when he tied for the bronze medal in the 200 m.

At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, he won his first major title. After the 100 m race, which Collins won after two other favourites pulled out of the final with injuries, he failed a doping test, testing positive for the steroid Salbutamol. However, it was found that the banned substance was part of the asthma medication Collins had been taking for several years, but had neglected to mention to the medical commission. Collins eventually was allowed to keep his title, and got away with a warning.

Collins was featured on a set of two stamps from St Kitts issued in 2002.

The 100 m at the 2003 World Championships became the biggest triumph of his career. With Olympic and World Champion Maurice Greene eliminated in the semi finals, the field was wide open. In a very close race, where the top four athletes finished within 0.02 seconds, Collins won and became the first world champion from Saint Kitts and Nevis.

At the 2004 Olympics, Collins again made the final of the 100, finishing 6th. At the 2005 World Championships, Collins claimed a bronze medal in the 100 m behind Justin Gatlin and Michael Frater though he was given the same time as the latter.

Finishing fourth in his heat, Collins qualified for the finals in the men's 200 m race in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished in sixth place on 20 August 2008. He competed at the 2009 World Championships and reached the quarter-finals of the competition, but he was eliminated after finishing in fourth place behind eventual finalists Asafa Powell, Darvis Patton and Marc Burns. He announced his retirement from international athletics in September that year, bringing an end to a career that spanned almost 17 years.

Collins returned to athletics on 29 January 2011 at the Aviva International Match in Glasgow, reversing his retirement at the age of 34, and he finished fourth in the 200 metres. He then won at the Russian Winter Meeting in Moscow. He set a 60 m personal best and national record of 6.52 seconds to win at the PSD Bank Meeting in Düsseldorf, overhauling his best mark which he had set nearly eleven years earlier. That time did not stand for as long, however, as he ran 6.50 seconds in the heats of the BW-Bank Meeting a few days later. Collins won both his heat and semi-final races in the 100m at the 2011 World Championships before finishing third and winning a bronze medal in the final after the disqualification of Usain Bolt. At the men's 4 × 100 m relay qualifying heats, Collins ran the second leg for the St Kitts and Nevis relay squad and helped clock a national record of 38.47, leading to St. Kitts and Nevis' first-ever final. The last event saw Collins team up with Jason Rogers, Antoine Adams and Brijesh Lawrence to clock 38.49 to win the bronze medal.

At the XVI PanAmerican Games in Guadalajara 2011, Collins broke the 28-year-old PanAmerican Games record with a time of 10.00 in the early heat. He finished second in the finals to Jamaica's Lerone Clarke. His silver medal was the first-ever medal for St. Kitts and Nevis at the Pan-Am Games.

Collins was expelled by his team from the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England on 4 August 2012 for missing training sessions. He said he was being punished for spending time with his wife.

Kim Collins during World Indoor Championships 2008 in Valencia

Personal bests

• All information from IAAF Profile

International competition record

25 August was declared Kim Collins Day by the government of St. Kitts and Nevis in honour of one of the track star’s most significant accomplishments, the gold at the World Championships in Paris, France in 2003.