Gail Devers is an American track and field athlete, renowned for her remarkable longevity, resilience and mental strength and was born on 19 November, 1966. Devers has won several Olympic medals and championships during her run as an athlete at the highest level which lasted over two decades from mid 1980s to till 2007. Here are some of the details about her life.
Personal Basic Information
| Full Name | Yolanda Gail Devers |
| Nick Name | Gail Force |
| Father’s Name | Larry Devers |
| Mother’s Name | Alabe Devers |
| Date of Birth (Born) | November 19, 1966 |
| Birth Place | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Current Age | Age: 59 years, 3 months, and 28 days as of today. Time left for next birthday: 8 months and 2 days. |
| Height | 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) |
| Weight | 121 pounds (55 kg) |
| Net worth | Approx. $2 million dollars as of March 2025 |
| Marriage Status | Married |
| Husband’s Name | Mike Phillips |
| Kids Name | Karsen and Legacy Phillips |
| High school | Sweetwater High School in National City, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Retirement | Retired in 2007 at the age of 40 years |
Gail Devers Net Worth
As of year 2025, her net worth is approx. $2 million dollar and this earning come from various sources which are mentioned below:
- Track & Field Earnings: Gail has gained a significant amount from her track and field career where she used to earn money in the form of prize money performance bonus and fees from different types of tournaments and competitions.
- Endorsements: She has endorsed many big brands in her entire career and has earned over $1 million dollars from it. Gail has sponsored many brands such as Nike and she was among the top celebrities list of the company.
- Business ventures and Investments: Gail is a co-owner along with her husband of Guyana a resort and Gail also owns several properties in Atlanta and California ad according to reports it is said that this a holds a value of over $500,000.
- Books: Gail Devers has also written a book called Gail Devers: My Life in Story, it talks about her life, struggles and the challenges that she had to face during that time. She has even written some children story books and earns quite well from it.
- Public Speaking: She has also done public speaking, and spoke on various topics at different types of events and she usually charges a fee of $10,000 – $20,000 per event.
Gail Devers Early Life and Childhood
Gail Devers was born on 19th of November in the year 1966 in Seattle, Washington, USA, his father Larry Devers was a Baptist minister. Gail’s mother Adele Devers was an elementary teacher in school and Gail has an older brother who is a professional bodybuilder.
When she was young Gail used to play with her older brother and race with him and after training diligently, she started winning against her brother. She started participating in state-level competitions in high school.
Education and the Beginning of Sports Career
Gail went to Sweetwater High School located in National City, California, Texas where she completed his education along with training in track and field.
She graduated from school in 1984 and wished to become a teacher in the future, just like her mother. In the year 1987 Gail started participating in competitive competitions and in the very next year she debuted as a rising athlete.
Professional Career
1988-1992: She excelled at the US Olympic trials and made it to the 1988 Seoul Olympics where she was in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles. After a major setback caused by Graves’ disease which she was diagnosed with in the year 1990.
In 1991, she came back on track at the Tokyo world championship, where she won 4th place in 100m hurdles. Just after that, in 1992, she again won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in the 100m flat race by finishing in just 10.82 seconds.
1993-1996: At the Stuttgart world championship, she won a gold medal in 100m race, 100m hurdles after defeating players like Gwen Torrence, Ludmila Narozhilenko and more.
The US Olympic Committee even named her as one of the top two athletes of 1993. In 1995, at Gothenburg world championship, she bagged the gold medal in 100m hurdles and won the national champion title and secured US No.1 ranking.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, she successfully defended her gold medal in 100m flat race and also won a gold medal in 4x100m relay and finished 4th at 100m hurdles.
1997-2000: In the IAAF world championship which was held in Paris, she won the gold medal in 60m flat race by finishing in 7.06 seconds and also achieved a gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the world championship in Athens.
In the year 1993, she was named as a Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation. This wasn’t a great year for Devers as an athlete, as she failed to secure any of the major international awards this year.
During the US Olympic trials, Devers set the American record for 100m hurdles by finishing at 12.33 seconds, making her the fourth fastest of the event at that time but unfortunately, she withdrew her name from the Sydney Olympics semifinals because of the injury in her left hamstring.
2001-2003: After that she achieved a silver medal in 100m hurdles at the World Championship held in 2001 in the city Edmonton, Canada.
She even bagged the gold medal in 100m hurdles during the IAAF world championship in Madrid by finishing at 12.65 seconds, she secured the gold medal in 60m flat race at world indoor championship (Birmingham) by finishing at 7.81 seconds.
She won the 100m hurdles champion title at the USA outdoor track and field championship, narrowly defeating Miesha McKelvy-Jones by a hundredth fraction of a second.
2004-2007: In 2007, Devers took a break from athletics to focus on her family and gave birth to her daughter, which naturally reduced her participation at competitive events.
After making a comeback to competitive athletics Devers participated in the 60m hurdle race at the Millrose games in New York, where she finished in the 4th position.
At the age of 40, she secured the gold medal in 60m hurdles at the Millrose Games in New York, with the fastest time recorded for that season at 7.86 seconds. This was the last time she took part in any competitive event.
Achievements / Awards / Medals
In the professional track and field journey of Gail Devers, she has a long list of achievements and here are some of them:
International Achievements
- 1994: She was awarded with the best female athlete award at 1994 ESPY Awards for her absolute excellence and display of elite athleticism in the track and field events consistently at the Olympic Games, World championships and also at national level events.
- 1992, 1996: Gail has won three gold medals in her entire career, one at the Barcelona Olympics in the 100m category and two at the Atlanta Olympics after defeating many talented players.
- 1997: She was named Sportswoman of the year by the Women’s Sports Foundation for excellent performance at the Atlanta Olympics.
- 2003 & 2004: Devers was awarded the Best Female Track and Field Athlete ESPY Award adding another jewel to the remarkable career that she had created over the years and decorated with medals and titles by consistently delivering top-tier performances year after year.
- 2005 & 2007: She was nominated for the BET Sportswoman of the Year award for her world-leading performance at the Millrose Games in New York and that to at the age of 40, reflecting her perseverance and passion towards athletics.
- 2011: In 2011, Devers participated in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, but it was uniquely celebrated in 2012. And after that, she also participated in the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in the year 2012 for the wonderful career that she had lived and the massive amount of glory she added United States at almost every stage she got a chance to perform.
National Achievements
- 1988, 1991-1993, 1995, 1999: Gail won first place at the USA Outdoor Championship in 100m and 100m hurdles categories, which landed her a position in the U.S team and then solidified her position in the team. She has defeated many players at the USA Outdoor Championship some of them are Lynda Tolbert-Goode, Stephanie Hightower, Gwen Torrence, LaVonna Martin and many others.
- 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2007: During the USA Indoor Championship, Gail participated in the 60m and 60m hurdles and won the first prize against many competitors like Inger Miller, Chryste Gaines, Jenny Adams and many others.
Married Life and Family
1st Marriage: Gail’s first marriage was to Ron Roberts, he was a sprinter and a coach, the two of them got married to each other on 25th of June in 1988.
After Gail got diagnosed with Grave’s disease, she took a break from sports and focused more on her health and during that time Ron supported her a lot.
After facing these struggles together, the two of them drifted apart and eventually made the decision to divorce each other.
2nd Marriage: Even after her divorce, she still struggled with the disease but after meeting Mike Phillip, who supported her in difficult times, the two of them got married in a short period of time but there is no exact date available about their marriage.
They like to keep their life private are reside in their mansion in Atlanta, where they are raising their kids.
- Karsen Anise Phillips: She was born in 2005, and according to Gail she is a miracle because at the age of 40 year, it is very difficult to conceive a child. Gail does not like to take her daughter in the limelight.
- Legacy Brielle Phillips: Mike and Gail’s second daughter’s birthday is not publicly released and not much information is known about her either.