Kirk Baptiste

Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	June 20, 1962 (1962-06-20) Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 24, 2022 (2022-03-25) (aged 59)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track
Event	Sprints
College team	Houston
Club	Athletics West Santa Monica Track Club
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles 200 metres World Indoor Championships 1987 Indianapolis 200 metres

Kirk Baptiste (June 20, 1962 – March 24, 2022) was an American track and field athlete, who mainly competed in the 200 metres. He was born in Beaumont, Texas. He competed for the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, United States, where he won the silver medal in the 200 metres with a time of 19.96 seconds. This was the first time anyone had broken 20 seconds and come second in the race. He decided to forgo his final season of eligibility at the University of Houston after his successful junior year.^[1] Baptiste was diagnosed with HIV in the 1990s, spending a decade abusing drugs to escape. In 2006 he began treatment at "A Caring Safe Place" in Houston.^[2]