Veronica Campbell Brown

         Veronica Campbell Brown was born May 5, 1982 in Trelawny, Jamaica. She specializes in the 100 and 200 meter dash. She was a great runner even in primary school which landed her a scholarship to one of Jamaica’s venerable high school track programs, Vere Technical. In 1999, she became the first female to win the World Youth Games 100 meter title. The next year, she won her first of five Olympic Games medals courtesy of a relay silver medal at the Sydney Games. Veronica became the youngest Jamaican female to win an Olympic medal. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Veronica gained three medals: a bronze in the 100 meter with a time of 10.91 seconds, gold in the 200 meter with a time of 22.05 seconds, and gold in the 4-by-100 meter relay. At the 2007 World Championships, Veronica captured the 100m title and became the first athlete (male or female) to win the full offering of International Association of Athlete Federation (IAAF) sprint titles available. That 2007 World Championship 100m gold medal made her the first Jamaican to win a senior global 100m title. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Veronica became the second woman in Olympic Games history to successfully defend her 200m title. She got the gold medal with her best time of 21.74 seconds.

            At the 2011 World Outdoor Championship, she finally secured the 200m crown. Also, she won silver medals in the 100m and 4x100m relays. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Veronica got the bronze medal in the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.81 seconds. Her 4-by-100 meter relay team took home the silver medal. Veronica currently has seven Olympic medals. Veronica is now married to the 2006 Commonwealth Games 200 meter Champion Omar Brown.

 "IAAF: Athlete Profile for Veronica Campbell-Brown." Iaaf.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/jamaica/veronica-campbell-brown-134999#biography>.

"Veronica Campbell Brown." Veronica Campbell Brown. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <http://veronicacampbellbrown.com/london.html>.

http://www.olympic.org/veronica-campbell-brown

Amanda Smock

Amanda Smock was born on July 27, 1982 to parents Beth and Glen Thieschafer. She grew up in the small town, Melrose, in rural Minnesota where she began competing in gymnastics at age 4. She was very close to her father, who was a gymnast coach and wanted her to pursue gymnastics. However, she gave up gymnastics when she became a teenager and started track and field. She excelled at long jump, pole vault, triple jump, and sprinting events. Smock graduated from Melrose High School in 2000. She attended North Dakota State University on an athletic scholarship, graduating in 2004. In college, she was a three-time NCAA Division II triple jump champion. Amanda Smock holds four national triple jump titles, two at USA Outdoors and two at USA Indoors. After Smock failed to make the Olympic Team in 2008, her father crossed "2008" off of his credential and added "2012." Smock lost her father shortly after the trials. In 2011, Smock won the USA Outdoor Championships with a jump of 46.2 ft., but was just shy of making the needed B standard for the World Championships. Days before the World team was announced, Smock jumped a personal best of 46.5 ft. and went to Daegu to compete.

In 2012, she won the Indoor Championship with a jump of 45.2 ft., qualifying her for the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. At the Olympic Trials she won the event with a jump of 45.7 ft. and qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  At the games, she failed to advance out of the qualifying round of competition with her best jump of 44.7 ft. and placed 11th. Amanda Smock is now married to her former college teammate, Greg Smock and coaches long and triple jump for Macalester College’s track and field team. 

"Amanda Smock." Team USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.teamusa.org/usa-track-and-field/athletes/Amanda-Smock>.

"Amanda Smock Biography." Amanda Smock Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.asicsamerica.com/athletes/amanda-smock>.

"Amanda Smock." USA Track & Field -. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Amanda-Smock.aspx>.

Dawn Harper

       

         

 Dawn Harper was born May 13, 1984 in East St. Louis, Illinois. Harper was a promising athlete in high school. She was raised by her mother and father and she has 2 brothers, and 2 sisters. In her freshman year, Harper won the 300m hurdles with a time of 42.70. During her sophomore year, she tore her PCL and Meniscus before the IHSA sectional meet. With a torn PCL and Meniscus, Harper still earned a silver medal in the 100m hurdles. She broke her own Illinois State Record in the 100m hurdles her junior year with a time of 13.54. During her senior year, Harper won her third state final in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.82 and the 300m hurdles. Harper graduated from East St. Louis High School as a 6 time IHSA State Champion. She then attended UCLA and won the sprint hurdles at the US Junior Championships and at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. She received All-American honors twice at the 2004 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

            She won her first national outdoor title and the women's Visa Championship Series in 2009. She is a three-time USA Outdoor champion with her personal best of 12.36 in the 100 meter hurdles. In 2009, Harper won the Outdoor Visa Champion for the 100 meter hurdles. In the 2008 Olympic Games, she went home with the gold medal in the 100 meters hurdles after beating Lolo Jones. She had a startling time of 12.54. However, in 2010 Harper suffered from a knee injury and made a major comeback in 2011. In 2011, she won the bronze medal World Outdoors with a time of 12.47 and then third at the USA Outdoors with a time of 12.65. In 2012, Harper had a great year. She placed 2^nd at the London Olympic Games with a time of 12.37. In 2013, she married her hometown friend, Alonzo Nelson on March 23^rd. 

"Dawn Harper." Team USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.teamusa.org/usa-track-and-field/athletes/Dawn-Harper>.

"Harper Got the Gold, but Lolo Took the Fame." USATODAY.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/track/story/2012-07-24/dawn-harper-and-lolo-jones/56461048/1>.

"IAAF: Athlete Profile for Dawn Harper Nelson." Iaaf.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/united-states/dawn-harper-nelson-188986#honours>.

 "London 2012 Summer Olympics | Olympic Videos, Photos, News."Athletics Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.olympic.org/olympic-results/london-2012/athletics>.

Reintroduction

          

             Track and Field is a time consuming sport that takes a lot of dedication and hard work. Running is my favorite thing to do, and I have been in love with it since I first learned to run. I run when I’m angry, sad, or happy; it’s an outlet for all of my emotions. I use to dream of becoming an Olympian, but I know now that is not what I am meant to do. However, these women who have competed in the Olympics and have won multiple medals still inspire me.

            I chose this topic because I am track runner myself, and it’s incredible to see the achievements these women have made. I am going to continue talking about women track and field Olympians from all over the world. Some are more known than others, but they all have achieved great things. I am going to tell the story of an Olympian, and what she had to go through in order to make it to where she is now. Also, I am going to talk about all of their achievements and what makes them incredible athletes.

            These women are the best of the best, and deserve this recognition. If you want to hear about extraordinary athletes, keep reading because these women are the definition of that. Running may not seem worth the time, but these women prove it with their record holding times and records. They have pushed themselves harder, faster, and higher than most, and they each have a story worth telling.               

Anna Chicherova

            Anna Chicherova is a Russian athlete who was born on July 22, 1982 in Erevan, Armenia, who specializes in high jump. She started high jumping at the age of seven under her father, who was a professional high jumper at the time. Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, Chichervoa and her family moved to Russia. There she began training with Alexei Bondarenko because her father had to start working to support their family. At 17, she went to Moscow to enter the Russian Sports Academy, and won the World Youth Championships in Poland with a jump of 6’2. In 2000 she finished 4^th at the World Junior Championships in Santiago, Chile. However, by the end of 2002, her personal best of 6’3 was a minor improvement from her jumps in 1999.

            In August of 2002, she began training for the indoor season. By 2003, she had improved her personal best by 3 centimeters. On January 7, 2003, at the Christmas Cup in Yekaterinburg, Chicherova jumped a national record 6’7 feet. The bronze medal from the 2003 World Indoor Championships, in Birmingham, was the first serious adult medal for Chicherova. From there, she went on to the 2004 Athens Olympics, but due to aponeurosis plantaris that she had 3 months prior to the Olympics, she placed 6^th. In 2005 she won the European Indoor Championships, in Madrid with a jump of 6’6 feet. After this win, her career dwindled, and she couldn’t jump higher than 6’4. However, she managed to recover at the national trials for the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, taking first place in the high jump. The year 2008 for Chicherova was full of ups and downs. She missed most of the indoor season, including the World Championships, in Valencia. She started the outdoor season with good jumps, but went down at the Moscow Open in June, and stopped competing for two weeks to recover her technique. She did go to the 2008 Olympics as an underdog, and received a bronze medal, with a jump of 6’7. In 2009, she was out for most of the indoor season because of surgery on an ankle joint.  However, at the Russian trials in 2009, Chicherova jumped 6’5. She came to the World Championships in Berlin, and performed a season best 6’6 and won the silver medal.

            In 2010, Chicherova took a maternity leave, missing the European Championships, in Barcelona. In the fall, she gave birth to her daughter Nika. She continued training after she gave birth to her daughter, and began jumping again the summer of 2011. At the World Championship in Daegu, she earned the gold medal in high jump with a jump of 6’7. After this victory, she went on to train for the 2012 London Olympics. She took home a gold medal with a winning jump of 6’7.

"IAAF: Athlete Profile for Anna Chicherova." Iaaf.org. International Association of Athletics Federations, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/russia/anna-chicherova-136903>.

"London Olympics (Aug. 11, 2012)." Anderson Independent Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://www.independentmail.com/photos/galleries/2012/aug/11/london-olympics-aug-11-2012/88055/#section_header>.

"Russia's Most Successful Female Athletes." RIA Novosti. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. <http://en.ria.ru/photolents/20120306/171759649_13.html>

Mariya Savinova

            Mariya Savinova is a Russian athlete who was born August 13, 1985 in Chelyabinsk. She played badminton in her hometown until she was 15, and this is how she was noticed by her first coach. She began running the sprints, but then found that the 800 meter was her best event. In 2006, she decided to switch coaches because she didn’t feel like she had improved with her previous coach. In 2009, she won her first National Indoor Championship and made it to the European Indoor Championship. At the European Championships, she won the 800 meter race with a personal best of 1:58.10. In the summer of 2009, in Cheboksary, she won the National Outdoor Championship in the 800 meter race for the first time in her career with a time of 1:59.01. However, she placed 5^th in at the World Championship. In 2010, she won the National Indoor Title and the World Indoors in Doha.

            In 2010, she married Alexey Farnosov who trained in the same group with Savinova. After their wedding ceremony, they decided to go to the track and run because that’s where they spent most of their time. The next summer, she won the European Team Championships in Stockhlom with a personal best of 1:56.95. At the World Championship in Daegu, she earned the nickname “Bolt in a skirt” because she was also smiling when she won and because she had the slowest reaction times in the start of a race. She ran a time of 1:55.87 and became a favorite as she made her way to the London Olympics. She ran a time of 1:56.19 at the 2012 Olympics, taking home her first Olympic gold medal.

"IAAF: Athlete Profile for Mariya Savinova." Iaaf.org. International Association of Athletics Federation, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/russia/mariya-savinova-231384#biography>.

"Detailed Statistics for All-Access Pass Holders:." Profile of Mariya SAVINOVA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.all-athletics.com/node/145580>.

"Mariya Savinova Photos: Olympics Day 12 - Athletics." Zimbio. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Mariya%2BSavinova/Olympics%2BDay%2B12%2BAthletics/tKtiBve0VC4>.

Natalya Antyukh

Natalya Antyukh is a Russian athlete who primarily competes in the 400 meter dash and 400 meter hurdles. She was born on June 26, 1981 in Saint Petersburg. In 1998, 17-year-old Antyukh won the Moscow World Youth Games (the event that twelve years later turned into the Youth Olympics), and she became the Russian Junior Champion in hurdles in 2000. In 2001, she made it to the final of the National Indoor Championships. In the first outing of her outdoor season, Antyukh ran under 52 seconds and was chosen as the third member of the national team for the World Championships in Edmonton. In July of 2004, she won the silver at the National Olympic Trials with a time of 49.85. At the Olympic Games in Athens, she placed third in the 400 meter dash and second in the 4-by-400 meter relay. The next years turned out to be grueling for Natalya. She started to race much more often than before, simply wearing out her body, and she also lost her mother. This loss left her shocked and emotionally drained. She kept working hard, winning national medals and being a part of the successful 4x400 relay team, but didn’t see any personal progress. 

Antyukh soon had a breakthrough just a couple of weeks before the 2009 World Championships, at the Russian Cup, when she made her senior debut over 400 meters high hurdles . She ran 54.19 – the best time in Russia that season and the fourth in the world. Even though Natalya ran a fast time at the 2009 Russia Cup, nobody expected her to make miracles in Berlin, but not having too much pressure on her allowed her to exceed all expectations, making it to the finals and taking the 6th place. In 2010, she won the European Championship in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.92 seconds. The season of the Daegu World Championships went smoothly for Antyukh. She ran a time of 53.85 in the 400-meter dashing, taking home a bronze medal. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, she finally took home her first gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles and a silver medal in the 4-by-400 meter relay. 

"Natalya Antyukh." Iaaf.org. International Association of Athletics Federations, 20 July 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. <http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/russia/natalya-antyukh-178158#biography>.

"Nataliya Antyukh, Russian Athlete – Olympic Champion." Russian Personalities. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. <http://beautifulrus.com/nataliya-antyukh-russian-athlete-olympic-champion/>.

"Natalya Antyukh»Photostream." Zimbio. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. <http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Natalya%2BAntyukh/Olympics%2BDay%2B9%2BAthletics/t7VhrSeieaS>.