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John Regis emerged as a potent force on the international sprinting
scene at the 1987 World Championships, where he won the bronze medal in
the 200m. Compared with this result, John's performances at the 1988
Olympic Games in Seoul were somewhat disappointing, where he was
eliminated in his heat of the 100m, and in the semi-finals of the 200m.
However, he did not return from Seoul empty handed, as he won a silver
medal as a member of Great Britain's 4 x 100m relay team, which finished
second to the Soviet Union. In the 1989 indoor season, Regis finished
second in the 200m at the European Indoor Championships, and then won
the gold medal in the same event at the World Indoor Championships in
Budapest
the following year, Regis competed at the Commonwealth
Games in Auckland, where, after finishing 7th in the 100m final, he won
the silver medal in the 200m, and then a gold medal as a member of
England's victorious 4 x 100m relay team. Arguably the greatest
achievement of Regis' career occurred later that year at the European
Championships in Split. In the 100m, on 28 August, John won the bronze
medal in a wind-assisted time of 10.07sec, the fastest in his career
under any conditions. Two days later, he reduced his 200m personal best
to 20.16sec when he won his semi-final, and later that evening, reduced
it further to 20.11sec, when he won the gold medal in the final (see photo above).
On the final day of competition, he won a silver medal as a member of
the United Kingdom's 4 x 100m relay team, and then followed this with a
superb 43.93sec leg to help the UK 4 x 400m relay team to victory in a
new UK record. John's four medals were the most ever won by a male
athlete at a single edition of the European Championships. (Ron Casey)
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