Gil Roberts Rallies in 4x400 Relay to Win Olympic Gold

Gil Roberts (B.A. Sociology, TTU 2012), raced to his first Olympic Gold Medal Aug. 20 in the men's 4x400 meter relay at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He ran the third leg on a team that included Arman Hall, Tony McQuay and LaShawn Merritt. Their time: 2:59.30.

It was a victory all the sweeter after ranking a disappointing  ninth place (44.65 seconds) on Aug. 13 in the men's 400 meter semifinals.

An Aug. 8 Texas Tech Today article follows Roberts' athletic career from Oklahoma City high school track star to running a record 44.86 seconds for Texas Tech in 2009, when Roberts logged the fourth-fastest time in the world that year. "It was a great feeling: just one of those races that turned out perfect. Everything was executed properly, and coach [Wes] Kittley had me ready. I knew what I needed to do, and it was special for me because I got to share that with Texas Tech fans and everybody from Lubbock," Roberts told Texas Tech Today.

In March 2012, he won the 400-meter title at the U.S. Indoor Championships and followed that up two weeks later with a gold medal win at the IAAF World Championships. He overcame injuries that spring to make it to the 2012 Olympic trials in the 400-meter semifinal race—only to finish in 12th place. He didn't make the team that year, but he didn't give up.

After graduating from Texas Tech, Roberts competed professionally for Nike and trained in Los Angeles, winning gold at the 2014 U.S. Track and Field Championships with a 44.53-second finish, the fifth-fastest time in the world for the 2014 outdoor season. In the 2016 semifinal 400-meter race at the Olympic trials, Roberts was disqualified on charges of a false start, but he was allowed to run the race under protest—finishing second. The USA Track & Field officials ruled in his favor and reinstated him. In the finals, he finished second again in 44.73. Roberts was at long last on his way to the Olympic Games.

"When I came across the line, my initial thought was a weight had been lifted off my shoulders," he told Texas Tech Today. "Thank God, I'm going to be living my dream! For me to be able to qualify for the United States, the hardest team in the world, it's special to me. It's only half the journey, journey's not over yet, but a lot of pressure left. ... I worked extremely hard to make it to the Olympics this year. I was confident in my training and all the work I've put in. I had faith in God that he would allow me to run like I knew I was capable of running."