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>.

Brittney Reese

             

            Brittney Reese was born September 9, 1986 in Inglewood, California. She graduated from Gulfport High School where she was the state champion in long jump and triple jump. She is known as the world’s farthest long jumper. She attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and the University of Mississippi. She was the NCAA Outdoor Champion in the long jump in 2007 and 2008. She received the SEC Women’s Field Athlete of the Year award in 2007.  Reese set a personal best in the long jump of 22 feet, 9.75 inches (6.95 meters) in July 2008 in Eugene, Oregon at the U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At the Olympics, Reese had the best qualifying jump at 6.87 meters. However, Reese placed fifth in the final, with a jump of 6.76 meters.

            

           She is a five-time USA Outdoor champion and a two-time USA Indoor champion. At the 2012 Olympics, she placed first in the long jump with a jump of 23 feet, 4.50 inches (7.12m). She is a three-time World Outdoor gold medalist and a two-time World Indoor gold medalist. Reese holds the American indoor record with a jump of 23 feet, 8.75 inches (7.23m).

"Photo Gallery." , Athletes Pictures, Olympics 2012, India at Olympics. Indian Express, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. http://archive.indianexpress.com/olympics/Picture-Gallery/1710/1/1.

"Brittney Reese." USA Track & Field.com. USATF, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Brittney-Reese.aspx. 

Sanya Richards-Ross

            Sanya Richards-Ross was born on February 26, 1985 in Kingston, Jamaica. She moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when she was 12 to pursue her athletic dreams. She displayed her talents early on, scoring a silver medal in the 400-meter and a bronze medal in the 200-meter dash at the 2002 World Junior Championships. That same year, she was named the Gatorade National High School Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. While she was a student at the University of Texas, Richards-Ross became the 2003 NCAA 400-meter champion. That same year, she won the NCAA Indoor Championship in the 200-meter dash. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Richards-Ross won a gold medal in the 400-meter relay.

            In the 2008 Olympic Games 400-meter final, Richards-Ross earned Team USA’s fourth Olympic medal ever in the 400-meter dash and the first since 1984 with the winning time of 49.89. In 2009, she was the 2009 World Champion, was named IAAF World Female Athlete of the Year, was nominated for the prestigious Laureus Award, earned her 5^th US National title, and achieved the most 400-meter races ran under 50 seconds. However, due to multiple injuries, she did not compete for most of the 2010 season. When 2011 came around, Richards-Ross competed at the Aviva Grand prix in London and ran 49.66 seconds in the 400-meter dash. She also led her teammates to a gold medal in the 4-by-400-meter relay, becoming a World Champion again. The first American woman to do so in 28 years, and only the 2nd in history, Sanya Richards-Ross became Olympic Champion in the 400-meter dash at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with a time of 49.28. She also won a gold medal in the 4-by-100-meter relay, breaking the Olympic record.

            She is happily married to Aaron Ross, a professional football player. He played for New York Giants from 2007-2011, but now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  

"Sanya Richards-Ross Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://www.biography.com/people/sanya-richards-ross>.

"Sanya Richards-Ross." USA Track and Field. USA Track & Field, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Sanya-Richards-Ross.aspx>.

 "About SRR." Sanya About SRR Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://www.sanyarichardsross.com/>.                 

Carmelita Jeter

Carmelita “The Jet” Jeter was born November 24, 1979 in southern California. She got her athletic start in basketball; it wasn’t until high school that she found her love for speed. During her freshman year of high school, Carmelita’s basketball coach suggested that she try out for track to help keep in shape in off-season. She ran an 11.7 second 100 meter dash, proving her natural talent for sprinting. Upon graduating high school, Carmelita signed on with California State University, Dominguez Hills track team and became the University’s first U.S. Olympic trials qualifier. While at Dominguez Hills, Carmelita also excelled off the track and acquired a degree in physical education. 

            In 2007, she took home her first medal in the 100-meter dash at her first World Championships and set a personal record with a time of 11.05 seconds. In the same season, Carmelita won a silver medal in the 60-meter dash at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships and set another personal record with a time of 7.17 seconds. At the London Grand Prix, she placed first in the 100-meter dash with a personal best of 10.92. A week prior to the start of the World Championships, Carmelita was part of the US 4x100-meter relay team that ran the fastest women’s sprint relay in 12 years.  Carmelita, Lauryn William, Allyson Felix and Muna Lee finished with a time of 41.58 seconds, bringing them to eighth on the all-time list.in the 2009 World Championships, she ran her personal best of 10.83 seconds, winning the second semifinal before finishing third in the finals with a time of 10.90. After the 2009 World Championships, Carmelita entered the IAAF World Athletics Final. She not only won the 100-meter dash, with a time of 10.67, but she also became the third fastest woman in history and set a championship record. She won the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, setting a new personal best of 10.67 making her the second fastest woman ever. Carmelita proved herself to be the best once again by not only winning the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, but setting a new personal best with a time of 10.64, making her the second fastest woman ever. She was the 2012 USA Indoor champion in the 60-meter dash and finished first in six events that season, ranking #1 in the world by T&FN with a best of 10.82. In 2011, Carmelita took home two gold medals in the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay and one silver medal in the 200-meter at the World Championships in Daegu. At the 2012 Olympics, Carmelita won gold in the 4x100-meter relay, silver in the 100-meter and bronze in the 200-meter, making her the first athlete to ever medal in both the 100-meter and 200-meter race at the Olympics. Carmelita anchored the 2012 US Olympic 4x100-meter relay team that smashed the old record by more than a half of a second.

 "Carmelita Jeter." USA Track & Field. USA Track and Field, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Allyson-Felix.aspx>.

"Carmelita Jeter | Official Site of the World's Fastest Woman » Bio." Carmelita Jeter Official Site of the Worlds Fastest Woman Bio Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Allyson Felix

 

Allyson Felix was born on November 18, 1985 in Las Angeles, California. She was raised by Christian parents and has one brother, who is also a runner. She began playing sports at a young age, starting with basketball. She gained the nickname “Chicken Legs” because of her lanky legs. She began running track in 7^th grade and excelled from the start. In 2003, Felix was named High School Athlete of the Year. As a high school senior, she finished second in the 200 at the U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships. That same year, she made history in Mexico City, finishing the 200-meter race in 22.11 seconds, a new world record in the under-20 category. After that, she signed a contract with Adidas and went to the University of Southern California.  

 

When Felix was only 18 years old, she competed in her first Olympics, the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. She finished second in the 200-meter dash, earning a silver medal. In 2005, she became the youngest champion to compete at the World Championships. Two years later, she became the second female to win three gold medals at a single World Championships. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.93 seconds. She also won a gold medal for the 4-by-400 meter relay race. At the 2012 London Olympics, Felix won her first gold in the 200-meter run with a time of 21.88 seconds. She went on to win a gold medal for the 4-by-100 meter relay, setting the world record time of 40.82 seconds.

 

 

 

 

"Allyson Felix." USA Track & Field. USA Track and Field, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. <http://www.usatf.org/Athlete-Bios/Allyson-Felix.aspx>.

"Allyson Michelle Felix." 2014. The Biography Channel website. Jan 16 2014, 12:42 http://www.biography.com/people/allyson-felix-20928869. 

Hope, Dan. "Sochi 2014 Olympics." Bleacher Report. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1295152-london-games-ranking-top-20-womens-performers-in-2012-olympic-track-and-fiel/page/12>.

 

 

Women Track and Field Intro.

Famous women track runners are not well known due to the lack of publicity on television or in public. They travel to many places and train for years for the big event, The Olympics. These women work very hard and have true dedication to what they do, whether it is a running event or field event. Some events include the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter run, 4 by 1 relay, 800-meter run, high jump, long jump, and triple jump. All of these women have set a record at the Olympics for their event, proving they are the best. They are known for their athleticism and confidence and many have changed the face of the Olympics’ track and field.

I plan to write about a different woman track and field Olympian every week. This will include their journey in getting to where they are now, their accomplishments so far, and the types of events they do. I will include pictures of their medals and of them doing their event. I will discuss women Olympians from all over the world, including America. Some of these women will  more known than others, but they all have achieved great things at the Olympics. 


Hope, Dan. "Sochi 2014 Olympics." Bleacher Report. N.p., 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1295152-london-games-ranking-top-20-womens-performers-in-2012-olympic-track-and-fiel/page/12>.