# Merlene Frazer

Merlene Frazer (born 27 December 1973, Trelawny, Jamaica) is a retired female track and field sprinter from Jamaica who specialized in the 200 metres. In the 4 x 100 metres relay, she won a World Championship gold medal in 1991 and an Olympic silver medal in 2000. On both occasions, she ran in the preliminary rounds but not the final. Her biggest individual success was winning a World Championship bronze medal at 200 metres in 1997.
As part of the Jamaican 4 x 100 relay squad in 1991, she is the youngest World Champion ever.
Running for the Texas Longhorns track and field team, Frazer won the 1994 200 meters at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships and won two indoor titles as well. She was inducted into the Texas sports hall of fame in 2017.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Jamaica ||||||
| 1988 | Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-17) | Nassau, Bahamas | 6th | Long jump | |
| 1988 | Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-17) | Nassau, Bahamas | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 46.75 |
| 1989 | CARIFTA Games (U-17) | Bridgetown, Barbados | 2nd | 100 m | 11.93 |
| 1989 | CARIFTA Games (U-17) | Bridgetown, Barbados | 2nd | 200 m | 25.0 |
| 1989 | CARIFTA Games (U-17) | Bridgetown, Barbados | 2nd | Long jump | 5.81 m |
| 1990 | CARIFTA Games (U-20) | Kingston, Jamaica | 2nd | 100 m | 11.75 (1.3 m/s) |
| 1990 | CARIFTA Games (U-20) | Kingston, Jamaica | 2nd | 200 m | 23.89 (-0.2 m/s) |
| 1990 | CARIFTA Games (U-20) | Kingston, Jamaica | 1st | 4x100 m relay | 45.39 |
| 1990 | World Junior Championships | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | 5th | 100 m | 11.64 (wind: +0.9 m/s) |
| 1990 | World Junior Championships | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | 1st | 4x100 m relay | 43.82 |
| 1991 | CARIFTA Games (U-20) | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 3rd | 100 m | 11.74 (1.7 m/s) |
| 1991 | CARIFTA Games (U-20) | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 2nd | 200 m | 23.86 |
| 1991 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Xalapa, Mexico | 1st | 200 m | 23.63 |
| 1991 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Xalapa, Mexico | 1st | 4 × 100 m relay | 44.54 |
| 1991 | Pan American Games | Havana, Cuba | 3rd | 200 m | 23.48 |
| 1991 | Pan American Games | Havana, Cuba | 1st | 4x100 m relay | 43.79 |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 1st | 4 × 100 m | 41.94^ |
| 1992 | World Junior Championships | Seoul, South Korea | 3rd | 100 m | 11.49 (wind: +0.3 m/s) |
| 1992 | World Junior Championships | Seoul, South Korea | 3rd | 200 m | 23.29 (wind: +0.3 m/s) |
| 1992 | World Junior Championships | Seoul, South Korea | 1st | 4x100 m relay | 43.96 |
| 1994 | Commonwealth Games | Victoria, Canada | 7th | 200 m | 23.18 |
| 1994 | Commonwealth Games | Victoria, Canada | 4th | 4x400 m relay | 43.51 |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 32nd (h) | 400 m | 52.24 |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | — | 4x400 m relay | DQ |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 12th (sf) | 400 m | 51.18 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 4th | 4x400 m relay | 3:21.69 |
| 1997 | World Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 4th | 200 m | 22.88 |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 10th (sf) | 200 m | 22.81 (-2.3 m/s) |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 2nd | 4x100 m relay | 42.10 SB |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 3rd | 200 m | 22.26 (0.6 m/s) |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 3rd | 4x100 m relay | 42.15 SB |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 2nd | 4x100 m relay | 42.13^ |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 3rd | 4x100 m relay | 42.40 SB |
* ^ At both the 1991 World Championships and the 2000 Olympic Games, Frazer ran in the preliminary rounds of the 4 × 100 m relay but not in the final.
* (#) Indicates overall position in qualifying heats (h) or semifinals (sf).

### Personal bests

* 100 metres - 11.20 s (1995)
* 200 metres - 22.18 s (1999)
* 400 metres - 51.18 s (1996)