Michael Bingham | |
Fullname: | Michael Allen Oswald Bingham |
Nicknames: | Boobin |
Nationality: | British |
Sport: | Men's athletics |
Event: | 200 metres, 400 metres |
Collegeteam: | Wake Forest University |
Birth Date: | 13 April 1986 |
Birth Place: | Sylva, North Carolina, U.S. |
Michael Bingham (born 13 April 1986) is an American-born British 400 metres track and field athlete. The silver medalist in the individual 400 metres at the 2010 European Championships, his most notable successes came as a long-time member of the Great Britain and England 4 x 400 metre relay squads. A European indoor, European outdoor and Commonwealth Games champion in the long relay, Bingham won medals at every major indoor and outdoor championships available to him, winning Olympic bronze in 2008, World outdoor silver and World indoor silver (twice), in addition to the gold medals at European and Commonwealth Games level.
He is one of five children born to British citizen Norris Bingham and Mollissie in Sylva, North Carolina. His parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother, attending The McCallie School. Bingham holds the school record in the 100 m, 200 m, 300IH, 4 × 100 m, 4 × 200 m, 4 × 400 m, 110 m hurdles and decathlon.[1]
Bingham studied at Wake Forest University, and after transferring allegiance on April 30, 2008,[2] Bingham was part of the Great Britain 4 × 400 m relay team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, that came 3rd in Beijing. He ran a personal best of 44.74 in the 400 m semi-finals of 2009 World Championships in Athletics, qualifying for the final where he finished 7th. He then won silver with the Great Britain 4 × 400 m relay team with Conrad Williams, Robert Tobin and Martyn Rooney. He was formerly managed by Michael Johnson.[3]
On 9 November 2013, he married Shana Cox, also an American-born sprinter representing Great Britain.[4]