Wisconsin High School Track Athlete Bios Last Updated: September 8, 2001

Suzy Favor-Hamilton

Suzy is the top female track and field athlete to ever come out of Wisconsin (Stevens Point, 1986).  Favor-Hamilton holds the WIAA state meet record at 800 Meters.  She is still competing and is one of the top 1500 Meter runners in the world.

See her web site.

See wisconsintrackandfield.com's spring 2002 interview with Suzy.

Events: 800m, 1500m, 5000m
Height: 5-4
Weight: 105
PRs: 800m - 1:58.10 (2000); 1000m - 2:33.93 (1995); 1500m - 3:57.40 (2000); Mile - 4:22.93 (1998); 3000m - 8:46.16 (2000); 5,000m - 15:06.48 (2000)
Born: August 8, 1968, in Stevens Point, Wis.
Current Residence: New Glarus, Wis.
High School: Stevens Point (Wis.) '86
College: Wisconsin '90
Coach: Peter Tegen
Agent: Jos Hermens
Club: Nike

Career Highlights: 3-time Olympian ('92, '96, '00); 9-time NCAA champion; 3-time U.S. Outdoor 1500m champion ('90, '91, '98); 2-time Pan American gold medalist ('84, '86); 3-time US Indoor champion ('91, '98, '99)…2nd in 1500m at 2001 USA Outdoors.

A three-time Olympian and the second fastest American ever at 1500 meters, Favor Hamilton posted the fastest women's 1500m time in the world last year with her 3:57.40 at the Bislett Games. In 2000, she set PRs at 800, 1500, 3000 and 5000 meters and was considered a medal contender for Sydney at 1500m. Running with an avulsion of the ischium bone and a strained hamstring, Favor Hamilton collapsed during the last lap of the Olympic final before picking herself up and finishing the race. She was treated by Olympic medal staff after the race and later chalked up the collapse to the injury, combined with a panic attack in the final straight … Favor Hamilton went through therapy after the Olympics to work through the reasons for her collapse and has taken a more gradual approach to training and peaking in 2001. Coming back from an achilles injury that kept her out of the 1999 outdoor season, she ran 15:06.48 at 5000 meters in her first race back in March of 2000... After graduating from Wisconsin in 1990, moved to Eugene, Ore., to train with coach Dick Brown...at the end of 1996, disappointed by her Olympic season, she moved back to Madison to reunite with college coach Peter Tegen and has made rapid improvement since then... Wisconsin's biggest star ever, with 23 Big 10 titles (21 of them in individual events)...won 9 NCAA titles, a record that still stands... NCAA All-America 14 times...as a senior, was awarded the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation's top collegiate athlete...trains with Canadian (now British) star Kathy Butler...holds a degree in graphic arts, and remains very active with her art...also models...works as an assistant coach to the Badger cross country and track programs... married to Mark Hamilton, a former Badger baseball player...in 2000 changed her name from Hamilton to Favor Hamilton in honor of her brother, who committed suicide... official website is www.suzyfavorhamilton.com.

2001: 2nd at USA Outdoor 1,500m (4:06.61)…1st in 1,500m at Prefontaine Classic (4:06.93)…
4:02.64 in Paris (3rd) … 4:03.60 in Oslao (2nd) … 4:03.10 at Golden Gala (3rd).
2000: 12th in Olympic final (4:23.05) after collapsing during final lap... did not compete indoors...opened the outdoor season with an impressive 15:06.48 for 5000 meters in her first try at the race and in May set a personal best in the 3000m (8:46.16)... 2nd at Olympic Trials 1500 (4:01.81)...followed up with a world-leading 3:57.40 PR win at the Bislett Games July 28 in Oslo, where she defeated the last three World Champions in the event (Sonia O'Sullivan, Carla Sacramento and Svetlana Masterkova) and the 1996 Olympic Champion (Masterkova)...then ran 1:58.10 PR at Stockhom Aug. 1... ranked #7 in world (#1 U.S.) in 1500 and #7 in U.S. in 800m by T&FN... bests of 1:58.10, 3:57.40, 8:46.16 and 15:06.48.
1999: USA Indoor 1500m champion...best of 1:58.92iAR...sidelined by achilles surgery in April... did not compete outdoors.
1998: Won USA Outdoors (4:05.28)... won USA Indoor mile (4:34.16) and Millrose mile (4:30.91)... won the Prefontaine Classic in May (4:10.11) with a 56.5 last lap...ran 800 PR of 1:58.66 to win in Lucerne...left the circuit after her 11th at Zurich (4:04.37) because she no longer felt fit...ranked #1 in U.S. at 1500 and #8 at 800 by T&FN... bests of 3:58.43 and 4:22.93.
1997: 2nd in 1500 at USA Indoor (4:08.83 indoor PR)...runner-up at USA Outdoors 1500 (4:04.36 PR)...ran 2nd at Sheffield in PR 4:03.50...6th in semi (4:07.19) at World Champs, missing final by 0.13 seconds...ranked #5 in world at 1500 (#2 U.S.) and #9 in U.S. at 800 by T&FN... bests of 4:03.50 and 4:26.01.
1996: 3rd in Olympic Trials 800 (1:59.04), 13th in 1500 (4:17.28)...4th in heats of 800 at Olympics...ranked #10 in U.S. at 1500 and #3 in U.S. at 800 by T&FN... bests of 4:08.18 and 4:31.65.
1995: Runner-up in 1500 at USA Outdoors...8th in semi at World Champs...ran 1000m in an American record 2:33.93 at the Prefontaine Classic... ranked #3 in U.S. at 1500 and #6 at 800 by T&FN... bests of 4:05.14 and 4:28.18.
1994: 2nd at 1500 in USA Outdoors...ran 2000m in 5:42.86... 9th in the USA Indoor mile after falling... ranked #2 in U.S. at 1500 and #5 at 800 by T&FN... bests of 4:04.57 and 4:37.47.
1993: 4th in 1500 at USA Outdoors...ranked #5 in U.S. at 1500 by T&FN... bests of 4:10.69 and 4:36.30.
1992: 3rd at the Olympic Trials... 11th in heat at Olympics...ranked #3 in U.S. at 1500 and #7 at 800 by T&FN... bests of 4:04.53 and 4:32.39.
1991: Won mile (4:37.55) at USA Indoors...won USA Outdoors (4:06.13 PR)...placed 9th in her 1500 heat at the World Champs...ranked #3 in U.S. at 1500 by T&FN... bests of 4:06.13 and 4:32.99.
1990: Won USA Outdoors (4:13.47)...won NCAA 800 (1:59.11) and 1500 (4:08.26)...won NCAA Indoor mile (4:38.19) and 3000 (9:02.30 PR)...won Big 10 800, 1500 and 3000...2nd at NCAA XC Champs...ranked #1 in U.S. at 1500 and #4 at 800 by T&FN... bests of 4:08.00 and 4:38.1.
1989: Placed 2nd at USA Outdoors ...won mile at NCAA Indoor in a meet record 4:30.63...won 1500 at NCAA Outdoors (4:15.83)...won Big 10 800, 1500 and 3000...won silver medal at 1500 in World University Games...won 800 at Olympic Festival...ranked #1 in U.S. at 1500 and #4 at 800 by T&FN...bests of 4:09.7 and 4:27.31.
1988: Won 1500 at NCAA Outdoors (4:13.83)...anchored second-place 4x800 relay at NCAA Indoor...won Big 10 800m, 1500m and 3000m...finished 5th in 800 heats at Olympic Trials... qualified for the semis in the 1500 but did not run...6th in NCAA XC Champs... bests of 4:13.91 and 4:35.97.
1987: In her frosh year, won NCAA Indoor mile and NCAA 1500 Outdoors (4:09.85)...captured Big 10 800 and 1500 titles...6th in the 1500 at USA Outdoors...9th in the World University Games 1500...21st in the NCAA XC Champs...ranked #5 in U.S. at 1500 by T&FN... bests of 4:09.10 and 4:41.69.
1986: Won her third straight 1500 title at the USA Juniors, an unprecedented achievement...won her second gold at the Pan Am Juniors...placed 9th in the World Junior 1500...2nd in the NCAA XC Champs... bests of 4:18.62 and 4:42.5 (1600).
1985: Won her second 1500 title at the USA Juniors... bests of 4:19.43 and 4:45.2.
1984: Won the 1500 at the USA Juniors...gold medal at 1500 in the Pan Am Juniors... bests of 4:19.46 and 4:51.8...also ran 10:26.2 for 3200 indoors.