Collegians With Outdoor World Champs Gold Medals

(compiled by Tom Lewis)

There are 11 athletes who belong to a very special club: during a calendar year in which they were collegians they also won a World Championships gold medal outdoors (this compilation does not address indoors).

9 of the 11 were NCAA champions. Of the other 2, Donald Thomas was 3rd in the NCAA and Ryan Brathwaite was the National JC champ.

The 11 athletes who have turned the trick, through the ’17 WC:

Year Athlete Nation School Class Event
1987 Abdi Bile Somalia George Mason Jr 1500
1991 Samuel Matete Zambia Auburn Sr 400H
1995 John Godina USA UCLA Sr SP
2003 Perdita Felicien Canada Illinois Sr 100H
2005 Tianna Bartoletta USA Tennessee So LJ
2007 Donald Thomas Bahamas Auburn Sr HJ
2009 Ryan Brathwaite Barbados Barton County So 110H
2011 Christian Taylor USA Florida Jr TJ
Kirani James Grenada Alabama So 400
2013 Brianna Rollins USA Clemson Jr 100H
2015 Shawn Barber Canada Akron Jr PV