Alvin Harrison

Alvin Harrison was a 400 metre runner who won a gold medal in the 4x4 at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but lost another relay gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when teammate Antonio Pettigrew was caught for doping. Harrison’s twin brother Calvin was also a member of the relay in 2000. Alvin did win a silver medal in the open 400 at Sydney.

Alvin Harrison and his brother turned professional out of high school and ran for Nike. Alvin was USA Champion in the 400 in 2002, runner-up in 2000, and third in 1996. He also won a bronze medal in the relay at the 1999 Pan American Games. In 2004 he was implicated in the BALCO scandal and admitted to using several undetectable performance-enhancing drugs for which he agreed to a four-year suspension with the US Anti-Doping Agency.

After his doping ban expired, Harrison became a citizen of the Dominican Republic and ran for them at the 2009 World Championships, helping them finish fourth in the 4x400 relay. He later became responsible for the Dominican’s high-performance athlete program, and was awarded an honorary master’s degree in exercise science for his contributions to Dominican sports. Harrison eventually worked in High Performance Athletic Development Programs, including helping NFL and NBA players.

Personal Best: 400 – 44.09 (1996).