Mark Lutz (sprinter)
American track and field athlete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Edward Lutz (born December 23, 1951) is an American former sprinter.[1] He ran for his home country in the 200 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics, finishing 5th in his qualifying heat.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | American | |||||||||||
| Born | 23 December 1951 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||
Event | Sprints | |||||||||||
| Club | Pacific Coast Club Kansas Jayhawks | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Lutz studied at the University of Kansas where he was a key member of the Kansas Jayhawks track team between 1971 and 1974.[2] During his time there he tried to qualify for 200 m event at the 1972 Munich Olympics but was eliminated in a qualifying heat at the United States Olympic Trials.[3]
He was renowned at the time he was running for being one of the very few white sprinters at the elite level in the U.S. Lutz won a gold medal at the World University Games in 1973 as part of the 4 × 400 metres relay. That same year he was runner up at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 200 metres.[4]
Lutz the British AAA Championships title in the 200 metres event at the 1974 AAA Championships.[5][6][7]
In 1976, and now attending Long Beach State University,[8] Lutz qualified for the 200 m at the 1976 Montreal Olympics by finishing third at the trials. Lutz was a surprise qualifier. He was even last at the turn in the final, overtaking the more highly fancied Steve Riddick only in the closing stages.[3][9] His American teammates Millard Hampton and Dwayne Evans went on to medal in the competition, finishing second and third respectively.
In 1976 he was married to distance star and both a Pacific Coast Club teammate and Long Beach State University classmate Francie Larrieu.[10] She hyphenated her name during the period they were married. They divorced in 1978.[11] He later married hurdler Patrice Donnelly, also a Montreal Olympian.[12]
