Judith Lynne Brown Clarke (née Brown, formerly Brown-King, born July 14, 1961) is an American politician and former athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metre hurdles. She is the 1984 Olympic silver medalist and two-time Pan American Games champion. She later was a member of the Lansing, Michigan City Council.

Judi Brown Clarke
Personal information
Birth nameJudith Lynne Brown
BornJuly 14, 1961 (1961-07-14) (age 63)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1984 Los Angeles 400 m hurdles
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1983 Caracas 400 m hurdles
Gold medal – first place 1987 Indianapolis 400 m hurdles

Sports career

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Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Clarke (under the name Judi Brown) won the gold medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1983 Pan American Games, narrowly ahead of her team-mate Sharrieffa Barksdale. In 1984, she won her first US national 400m hurdles title before going on to win the silver medal in the event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, finishing behind Nawal El Moutawakel. Under her then married name of Judi Brown King, she won three more US 400m hurdles titles from 1985 to 1987 and successfully defended her Pan American Games title in 1987, finishing ahead of Sandra Farmer. She was also a twelve-time Big Ten champion in track and field events during her career. In 1987, she was selected Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine for her community involvement.

Education

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Clarke holds two degrees from Michigan State University, a Bachelor's degree in Audiology and Speech Science, and a Master's degree in Education. She was inducted into the Michigan State University Hall of Fame in 1986.[1] She holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Public Policy from Western Michigan University, from which she graduated with honors. She also is a member of the Michigan Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Consortium.

Political career

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Clarke was elected to the Lansing, Michigan City Council in 2013 and remained in office until 2017, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Lansing in the 2017 election.[2][3]

International competitions

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All results regarding 400m hurdles

Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing   United States
1983 Pan American Games Caracas, Venezuela 1st 56.03
World Championships Helsinki, Finland 14th (sf) 57.98
1984 Olympic Games Los Angeles, United States 2nd 55.20
1985 Grand Prix Final Rome, Italy 1st 54.38
World Cup Canberra, Australia 2nd 55.10
1986 Goodwill Games Moscow, Soviet Union 6th 56.06
1987 Pan American Games Indianapolis, United States 1st 54.23
World Championships Rome, Italy 8th 56.10
(sf) Indicates overall position in semifinal round.

References

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  1. ^ "World Fit (Olympians for Worldwide Fitness) childhood obesity programs - kids fitness programs - school fitness programs - youth fitness programs - school walking programs".
  2. ^ "Judi Brown Clarke". Lansing, Michigan. Archived from the original on July 25, 2017.
  3. ^ Vega, Karel; Martinez-Beltran, Sergio; Ashley, Skyler (November 7, 2017). "Brown Clarke Looking At "Next Steps" Post-Mayoral Race". WKAR. Retrieved January 1, 2018.

Notes

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