Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | June 8, 1993 |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Weight | 128 lb (58 kg) |
Sport | |
Country | United States |
Sport | Track and field |
Event | 400m hurdles |
Medal record |
Ashley Spencer (born June 8, 1993) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles. In the 400m hurdles, she is the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist. In the 400m, she is the 2012 World Junior Champion and the 2016 World Indoor silver medalist. She is coached by 1996 Olympic bronze medalist Tonya Buford-Bailey.
Born June 8, 1993, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Spencer attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where she ran for the Illinois Fighting Illini and won 2 NCAA titles. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she ran for the Texas Longhorns. Her uncle is Steve Smith, the 1995 Pan American Games silver medalist in the high jump.
At the 2012 World Junior Championships Spencer won gold medals in both the 400 meters and the 4x400 meter relay. [1]
At the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Spencer finished third in the 400m. [2] [3] This finish assured her selection for the 2013 World Championships in Moscow. [4] At the World Championships she ran 51.48 in the 400m heats to qualify for the semifinals, where she was eliminated running 51.80. She went on to win a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay, along with Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings and Francena McCorory.
Spencer won a silver medal in the 400m in 51.77 and a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon. Later that year at the United States Olympic Trials, she finished second behind Dalilah Muhammad in the 400m hurdles in a personal best of 54.02, to earn selection for the Rio Olympics. She also finished seventh in the 400m final at the trials in 51.09. At the Rio Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles in a personal best time of 53.72 seconds.
In June 2017, Spencer moved into the world all-time top 25 when she improved her 400m hurdles best to 53.11 seconds, finishing fourth at the U.S. Championships, in a race won by Dalilah Muhammad in 52.64.
Angelo F. Taylor is an American track and field athlete, winner of 400-meter hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics. His personal record for the hurdles event is 47.25 seconds. His time puts him in a tie with Félix Sánchez for the #14 performer of all time. Sánchez also won two Olympic gold medals, in 2004 between Taylor's two golds and 2012, immediately following. Taylor also has a 400-meter dash best of 44.05 seconds, ranking him as the joint 29th performer of all time, superior to any other athlete who has made a serious effort in the 400 metres hurdles. He won the bronze medal in the 400 m at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.
Allyson Michelle Felix is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 meters later in her career. At 200 meters, Felix is the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time world champion (2005–2009), a two-time Olympic silver medalist, and the 2011 world bronze medalist. At 400 meters, she is the 2015 world champion, 2011 world silver medalist, 2016 Olympic silver medalist, 2017 world bronze medalist, and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist. Across the short distances, Felix is a ten-time U.S. national champion.
Kerron Stephon Clement is a Trinidadian-born American track and field athlete who competes in the 400-meter hurdles and 400-meter sprint. He held the indoor world record in the 400-meter sprint, having broken Michael Johnson's mark in 2005.
Andrew Rock is an American sprinter who specializes in the 400 meter dash.
Natalya Nikolayevna Antyukh is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles. She won the bronze medal in the 400 metres and a silver for the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Olga Vladimirovna Nazarova is a Russian former track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metres. She represented the Soviet Union. She won two Olympic gold medals in the 4 × 400 metres relay, in 1988 and 1992. Her 1988 split time of 47.8, remains one of the fastest relay splits of all-time. She also won World Championship gold (1991) and silver (1987) in the relay, and a 1988 Olympic bronze medal in the 400 metres.
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John Walton Smith is a former American athlete, who competed in the sprints events during his career. He is best known for winning the 400 m event at the 1971 Pan American Games. He remains the world record holder for the 440 yard dash at 44.5 seconds. He set the record while winning the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on June 26, 1971 while running for the Southern California Striders. The record has stood since then due to metrification in the sport. Contemporary athletes rarely run or are timed officially for the extra 2.34 meters to equal 440 yards.
Eilidh Doyle is a retired British track and field athlete. Originally running as Eilidh Child, she specialised in the 400 metres hurdles outdoors, and the 400 metres flat indoors, as well as the 4 x 400 metres relay on both surfaces. She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. Individually, she is the 2014 European Champion and a three-time Commonwealth silver medalist in the 400 metres hurdles.
Muizat Ajoke Odumosu Alademerin is a Nigerian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles. She represented Nigeria at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics and competed at the World Championships in Athletics in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. She was the bronze medallist at the 2007 All-Africa Games and went on to become the continental champion with a win at the 2008 and 2012 African Championships.
Anna Vasylivna Ryzhykova, nee Yaroshchuk is a Ukrainian track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles. At the European Athletics Championships, she won silver medals in 2012 and 2018, and bronze in 2022. Ryzhykova placed fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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