Canadian sprinter Bruny Surin, born in Cap-Haitien, Haiti

Bruny Surin, a renowned Canadian sprinter, was born in Cap-Haïtien, Haïti on 12th July 1967. He was raised in Canada where his family had found residence in 1975. Though he is famous for short distance running, Bruny began his athletic career in the long jump.

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He made his first outstanding performance in the mid 1994 commonwealth games in which he won gold medal in the 4x100 relay. After switching from long jump to sprinting, Bruny Surin has won several medals. In the 1995 world championship games, he won a silver medal in the 100m race. He also secured a gold medal in the 4x100m relay with the Canadian team. He added to his medals in 1996 when he won another gold medal in 4x100m relay at Atlanta.

His injury in 2001 World Championships saw his athletic career come to a conclusion. Bruny Surin, together with the other 1996 Olympic 4x100m relay team were later inducted into the Canada's Spots Hall of Fame in 2008.

His first appearance in competitions was in the 1987 Pan-American Games where he represented Canada in long jump. Bruny was placed fifteenth, a position he repeated in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. After the competitions in Seoul, his manager Enrico Dionisi took him to Siena. Here he trained under manager Barucci who influenced him to leave long jump in favor of 100m. Barucci believed that Surin could do the 100m race in 10.10 seconds. During the next Canadian championships Bruny won the 100m race in 10.14 seconds.

Bruny Surin was position 3 in the 1990 Commonwealth Games, clinching a bronze medal in 100 m and was place seventh in long jump.

At the 1991 World Championships, Surin was eighth in the 100 m, and at the 1992 Summer Olympics he was 4th in the 100m and reached the semifinals as a member of Canadian 4x100 m relay team.

Bruny has been recording outstanding performances in both the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships. In the World Championships, Surin was placed 5 in 1993, 2 in 1995, 7 in 1997 and 2 in 1999 in the 100m. In the same competition, Surin's Canadian team won bronze medal in 1993, gold medal in 1995 and another gold medal in 1997 in the 4x100m relay.

The Canadian 4x100m relay team beat United States at the Atlanta Olympics to become the world's top relay team. In these competitions, Surin reached the semifinal of the 100 m.

During the 2000 Canadian championships Bruny Surin sustained a leg injury that saw his elimination at the semifinals of the 100m of 2000 Summer Olympics. Surin couldn't bear the pain; he slowed down and walked the rest of the way through the finish line. He sustained another injury at the 2001 World Championships. This was his final major championship race; Surin was pushed off the track in a wheelchair after he was unable to complete the semifinals of the 100 m in a wheelchair.

At the McGill Open in 2009, Surin became Canadian 50 meters record holder for the 40-45 age group after taking 6.15 s.

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