Tora Harris

Last updated

Tora Harris
College Princeton
Conference Ivy
Sport Track and field
Class2002
Career1998–present
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight183 lb (83 kg)
Born (1978-09-21) September 21, 1978 (age 46)
College Park, Georgia, U.S.
High school South Atlanta High School
Career highlights
Honors
Records
  • Ivy League indoor high jump:7 feet 3.25 inches (2.22 m)
  • Ivy League outdoor high jump:(7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m))
Championships
U.S. Nationals
  • 2005 & 2007 indoor high jump champion
  • 2006 & 2009 outdoor high jump champion
NCAA
  • 2002 indoor high jump champion (2002)
  • 2002 outdoor high jump champion (2002)
Ivy League/Heptagonal
  • 4x indoor high jump champion
  • 4x outdoor high jump champion
Medal record
Men's athletics: high jump
Representing the Flag of the United States.svg United States
Universiade
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2001 Beijing High jump
IAAF World Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2006 Athens High jump
USA Indoor Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2003 Boston High jump
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2004 High jump
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2005 Boston High jump
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2006 Boston High jump
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Boston High jump
USA Outdoor Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2004 Sacramento High jump
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 Indianapolis High jump
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Eugene High jump
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2010 Des Moines High jump


Representing Princeton Tigers logo.svg Princeton Tigers/Ivy League
NCAA Outdoor Championships
NCAA logo.svg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2002 Baton Rouge high jump
NCAA Indoor Championships
NCAA logo.svg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2002 Fayetteville high jump
By race
Event1st2nd3rd
outdoor high jump 100
indoor high jump 100
Total200
Event1st2nd3rd
NCAA Outdoor Championships 100
NCAA Indoor Championships 100
Total200

Tora Lian-Juin Harris [1] [2] (born September 21, 1978) is an American high jumper. He is a Princeton University engineer of Taiwanese and African-American descent. Harris is an Olympian, a four-time national champion and two-time bronze medalist in international competition. He represented Team USA twice in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, three times in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics and has served as a representative once in the IAAF Continental Cup. He spent two years as the No. 1 ranked high jumper in the United States.

Contents

In college, Harris was a five-time All-American, while earning the two individual (2002 indoor and outdoor) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. He also represented Team USA at one World University Games. He is both the Ivy League indoor and outdoor high jump record holder and Princeton's only two-time NCAA individual event track and field champion. He is an eight-time individual Ivy League/Heptagonal champion, winning the indoor and outdoor high jump championships four times each.

Early life

Harris was born in College Park, Georgia. [3] His mother, Susan (Su-Chen), [1] is Taiwanese. His father, Tommie Lee Harris (1934–1999), was African American. [1] [4] His parents made him take Chinese lessons when he was young, [1] and he now speaks the language fluently. [5] He attended first grade in Taiwan, where he was introduced to jumping. [1] Harris high jumped 7 feet (2.13 m) in high school. [6] He placed second in the 1997 Georgia High School Association Class AAA high jump championships. [7] Harris is a 1997 alumnus of South Atlanta High School and was a member of Princeton University's graduating class of 2002. [5] Harris studied mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton. [8]

College career

While at Princeton, Harris excelled at intercollegiate athletics. Harris was a four-time NCAA Outdoor Track & Field All-American placing 7th, 5th, 4th and 1st in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002, respectively. [9] [10] He also was an NCAA Indoor All-American in 2002 when he placed 1st at the NCAA Championships. [5] [11] [12] He did not participate in intercollegiate competition in 2000 in order to prepare for the 2000 United States Olympic trials. [11] He failed to make the team after finishing seventh at the Olympic trials. [1]

He won the indoor heptagonal championships in 2001, tying an Ivy League indoor record (7 feet 3.25 inches (2.22 m)) that still stood as of 2011. [13] [14] He won the 2001 outdoor Heptagonal championships with a record jump of 7 feet 5.25 inches (2.27 m). [15] [16] That year he was the Indoor Heptagonal Championships Most Outstanding Performer and Outdoor Heptagonal Championships Most Outstanding Performer as well as the Mid-Atlantic Region Male Indoor Athlete of the Year as selected by the United States Track Coaches Association. [14] [16] [17] He won a bronze medal at the 2001 World University Games. [18] His 2002 outdoor Heptagonal championships performance of 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m) continues to be an Ivy League outdoor record. [19] [20] [21]

Harris concluded his collegiate career with a total of eight Ivy League/Heptagonal individual championships. [21] [22] He was also both the NCAA indoor and outdoor champion in 2002. [18] [23] By winning both the indoor and outdoor NCAA championships, he became Princeton's only two-time NCAA individual event track and field champion. [10] He finished second to Yasser El Halaby as Princeton's Athlete of the 2000–09 Decade. [19] [24]

Professional career

He was a two-time United States National indoor champion (2005 and 2007) [25] [26] and a two-time United States National outdoor champion (2006 and 2009). [27] [28] [29] At the 2003 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Harris, Charles Austin and Charles Clinger all posted heights of 7 feet 6.5 inches (2.30 m), with Austin claiming gold based on fewer misses and Harris winning a jump off for silver. [30] [31] On two other occasions (2006 Indoor vs. Adam Shunk at 2.25 m, and 2010 Outdoor vs. Jesse Williams at 2.26 m) [32] [33] he earned silver medals at the US national championships despite clearing as high a height as the gold medalist.

He was a member of the United States team at the 2004 Summer Olympics along with high jumpers Matt Hemingway and Jamie Nieto. Harris failed to advance past the first round when he could not clear 7 feet 2.5 inches (2.20 m) on any of his three attempts leaving him with a best height of 7 feet (2.13 m) and a 17th-place finish. [34] He represented the United States at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in both 2003 and 2009 and in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics in 2003, 2004 and 2006. [35] He won a bronze medal at the 2006 IAAF World Cup. [18]

Harris was the No. 1 ranked high jumper in the United States according to Track & Field News in both 2002 and 2006 and was among the top 10 every year from 2001 through 2009. [11] His personal best jump is 2.33 metres (7 ft 7.73 in), achieved in June 2006 in Indianapolis. [18] Harris trains out of his Chula Vista, California, residence. [36]

He has developed, produced and marketed the electric ODK cargo bike, under the Juiced Bikes name. [37] [38]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tianna Bartoletta</span> American track and field athlete

Tianna Bartoletta is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the long jump and short sprinting events. She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she placed fourth in the 100m race then won her first gold by leading off the world record-setting 4 × 100 m relay team. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she won two more golds, first with a personal best to win the long jump then again leading off the victorious 4 × 100 m relay team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornell Big Red</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Cornell University

The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports and other competitive teams that represent Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The university sponsors 37 varsity sports, and several intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Simms</span>

Allen Simms is an American triple jumper and Social Entrepreneur.

Conor McCullough is an American hammer thrower. He is a two-time medalist at the World Junior Championships. While competing for Chaminade College Preparatory School he set the US high school record at four contested hammer weights - 11 lb, 12 lb, 13.2 lb and 16 lb. He also set the record in the Indoor Weight Throw at 93' 3¼". He set his personal best 78.12 m (256 ft 3 in) using the senior implement on his final throw while winning the 2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Taylor (athlete)</span> American track and field athlete

Christian Taylor is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the triple jump and has a personal record of 18.21 m, which ranks 2nd on the all-time list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Whiting</span> American shot putter (b. 1986)

Ryan Keith Whiting is an American track and field athlete who competes in the shot put and has a personal record of 22.28 meters outdoors and 22.35 meters indoors. His biggest international senior success to date is first place at the 2012 World Indoor Championships. He represented the United States at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, 2013 World Championships in Athletics, 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donn Cabral</span> American steeplechase runner (born 1989)

Donald Cabral is an American cross country and track runner from Connecticut who went on to star at Princeton University. He has been most successful in the steeplechase, but has also been a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American in cross country and the 5000 meters, as well as the Ivy League champion at the 3000 meters. He is a former American collegiate steeplechase record holder and was the 2012 NCAA steeplechase champion. He competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics in the steeplechase. At Princeton, Cabral was an eight-time NCAA All-American and ten-time individual Ivy League champion. He was a long distance running champion in high school for Glastonbury High School, winning two Class LL championships as a sophomore and then open state and New England championships as a junior and senior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Smock</span> American triple jumper

Amanda Smock is an American triple jumper who competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In college, she was a three-time NCAA Division II track and field champion. She won the triple jump events at the United States Outdoor Championships in 2011 and 2012, and at the Indoor Championships in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English Gardner</span> American sprinter (born 1992)

English Gardner is an American track and field sprinter who specializes in the 100-meter dash. She has a personal best of 10.74 seconds, set in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunnar Nixon</span> American decathlete (born 1993)

James Gunnar Nixon is an American track and field athlete who competes in the decathlon. He broke the American high school record for the event in 2011, and was the World Junior Champion in 2012. He won his first national title indoors in 2013, and was runner-up at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His personal record for the decathlon is 8313 points at the 2013 IAAF World Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Ash</span> American hurdler (born 1988)

Ronnie Ash is an American track and field athlete specializing in hurdles. With his 12.99 (+1.2) 110 metres hurdles on June 29, 2014 in a semi-final round of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, California, he moved into the prestigious sub 13 club and is currently the 17th fastest hurdler in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquis Dendy</span> American long jumper and triple jumper

Marquis Dendy is an American track and field athlete, primarily known for horizontal jumping events. He is the 2015 National Champion in the Long jump. His winning jump, of 8.68 m, though wind aided at +3.7mps, his first jump of the competition, was the longest jump in the world under any conditions in over 5 years. He grew up in Middletown, Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleec Harris</span> American hurdler

Aleec Harris is an American track and field hurdler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Hartfield</span> American track and field athlete

Michael Hartfield is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the long jump. He holds a personal best of 8.34 m for the event, set in 2016. He competed in the 2016 Olympics for Team USA in the long jump.

Roland McGhee is an American former long jumper. His personal record mark of 8.51 m ranks him in the all-time top 25 for the event, as of 2016. He was twice a national champion, winning outdoors and indoors in 1998. He represented his country at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Also a sprinter, he was a bronze medallist in the relay at the 1994 IAAF World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Benard</span> American track and field athlete

Chris Benard is an American track and field athlete who competes in the triple jump. He holds a personal record of 17.48 m, set in 2016. Bernard represented Team USA 9-times at 2 Summer Olympics, 4 World Athletics Championships, & 3 NACAC Championships.

Paige Kouba is an American cross country and track athlete from Eugene, Oregon. Paige earned a 2016 NACAC U23 silver medal. As a long-distance runner she has been most successful in the steeplechase, earning National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American honors in that event in 2016 after finishing 7th at Outdoor Nationals. She was a 2016 Olympic Trials qualifier, the 2016 Ivy League champion in the steeplechase, and was also a member of Harvard's winning DMR at the 2016 Ivy League indoor championships.

Brian Brown is an American male former track and field athlete who competed in the high jump. His career best was 2.34 m, set in 1990. He was the national champion at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1989 and won the NCAA Indoor Division I title in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quanesha Burks</span> American long jumper (born 1995)

Quanesha Burks is an American track and field athlete who mainly competes as a long jumper. She represented her country at the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. She was the gold medalist at the regional 2015 NACAC Championships in Athletics. Collegiately, she competed for Alabama Crimson Tide and was the 2015 NCAA Division I champion in long jump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Scott (triple jumper)</span> American track and field athlete (b. 1992)

Donald Douglas Scott is an American track and field athlete who competes in the triple jump. Scott earned bronze medal in triple jump at 2022 World Indoor Championships. He holds a wind-aided personal best of 17.74 m, set in 2019. He equalled that mark, to win the 2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He is a 2017 and 2019 U.S. Indoor Triple Jump Champion and a 2018 U.S. Outdoor Champion. Scott is a third-year volunteer coach at Eastern Michigan University.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hollander, Sophia (May 7, 2002). "Track and Field; A Princeton Senior Is Setting the Bar Higher". The New York Times . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  2. ↑ Stabler, Penn (May 15, 2002). "Senior high jumper Harris climbs the world rankings with Heps performance". The Daily Princetonian . Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  3. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tora Harris". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Senate Resolution 1150". Georgia State Senate. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Tora Harris (Bio)". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  6. ↑ Yike, Jim (2005). "Georgia's All Time Honor Roll updated through 2005!". MileSplit. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Georgia High School Association" (PDF). Georgia High School Association. p. 195. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Tora Harris". U.S. Athletic Trust. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Tora Harris Earns All-America In High Jump". Princeton Athletic Communications. June 1, 2002. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Harris is the 2002 NCAA Outdoor High Jump Champion". Princeton Athletic Communications. March 8, 2002. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 "Tora Harris (Events & Rankings)". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Tora Harris – the Nation's Best". Princeton Athletic Communications. March 8, 2002. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  13. ↑ "The Ivy League Record Books 2011–12" (PDF). IvyLeagueSports.com. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Men's Track and Field Wins Fourth Consecutive Heps Title". Princeton Athletic Communications. February 25, 2001. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Meet Top 10". HepsTrack.com. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Princeton's Men Place Second, Women Eighth at Outdoor Heptagonal Championships". Princeton Athletic Communications. May 5, 2001. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Tora Harris Named Mid-Atlantic Male Indoor Athlete of the Year". Princeton Athletic Communications. March 4, 2001. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Biographies: Harris Tora USA". International Association of Athletics Federations . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Top Male Athletes Of The Decade: No. 2 Tora Harris '02". Princeton Athletic Communications. December 29, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  20. ↑ "All-Time Marks". HepsTrack.com. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  21. 1 2 "Tora Harris Sets Nation's High Mark as Princeton Finishes Second at HEPS". Princeton Athletic Communications. May 11, 2002. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Men's Track and Field Captures Fifth Consecutive Indoor HEPs Title". Princeton Athletic Communications. February 24, 2002. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  23. ↑ Longman, Jere (April 28, 2011). "Diverse Interests, One Goal". The New York Times . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Top Male Athletes Of The Decade: No. 1 Yasser El Halaby '06". Princeton Athletic Communications. December 30, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  25. ↑ "2005 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  26. ↑ "2007 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  27. ↑ "2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  28. ↑ "2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  29. ↑ "USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions: Men's High Jump". USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  30. ↑ Denman, Elliott (March 3, 2003). "Track and Field; Dragila, Using Longer Pole, Raises the Bar in the Vault". The New York Times . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  31. ↑ "2003 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  32. ↑ "2006 AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  33. ↑ "2010 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships". USA Track & Field . Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  34. ↑ Denman, Elliott (August 20, 2004). "Harris eliminated in high jump". Jackson Sun . Gannett . Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  35. ↑ "Athlete Profile: Tora Harris". International Association of Athletics Federations . Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Tora Harris". USA Track & Field . Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  37. ↑ "Juiced Bikes | America's #1 Electric Bike Company".
  38. ↑ "About Juiced Bikes". Electric Bike & Skate (Red Leaf Ideas, LLC). Retrieved January 13, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.