Danny Harris

Who is Danny Harris?

Danny Lee Harris is a former American 400m hurdles runner who won silver medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1987 World Championships in Rome, both behind Edwin Moses. His time of 48.02 in 1984 at age 18 is still the current World Junior Record.

Harris's greatest moment came at a meeting in Madrid in 1987 where he defeated Edwin Moses - who had been undefeated since 1977. Later in the same year, Harris came very close to defeating Moses again in a dramatic final at the World Championships, but Moses defended his title by 2/100 of a second.

Harris could not take part in the 1988 Olympics, just finishing fifth at the 1988 US trials in Indianapolis.

Danny Harris is an alumnus of Perris High School in Perris, California, where he grew up. In 1983, he won the CIF California State Championship in the 300 hurdles, and ran a thrilling anchor leg vs Hawthorne High School's Henry Thomas in the team's second place 4x400 metres relay team see the video, leading Perris to its most impressive showing at the event. He returned to coach the boy's track team in 2001, and he led them to their first League Championship since he ran for the school almost 20 years earlier.