 |
Yvonne Harrison Castro, also spelled Ivonne (born December 2, 1975 in New York City) is a Puerto Rican athlete who specialized in the 400 metres hurdles. She competed at two World Junior Championships, two World Championships, one World Indoor Championships and one Olympic Games.
Harrison grew up in Throggs Neck, The Bronx, where she was one of the top high school athletes in the U.S. competing for Herbert H. Lehman High School. As a 16 year old, she knew Carl Lewis and claimed to be "practically... best friends" with Florence Griffith-Joyner before her death. [1]
In 1998 she finished second in the 1998 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In the same year she was eliminated in the heats at the 1998 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships (400 metres) and the 1998 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The next year, she reached the final and finished 7th at the 1999 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships—improving to a 6th place at the 2000 United States Olympic trials. [2]
In 2001 she changed athletic allegiance to Puerto Rico, immediately winning the gold medal in 400 metres hurdles at the 2001 Central American and Caribbean Championships as well as a silver medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay. At the 2001 World Championships she competed in both 400 metres hurdles and 4 × 400 metres relay, achieving Puerto Rican records in both events. In 2002 she continued to win the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games and the bronze medal at the 2002 Ibero-American Championships. [2] At the latter, she also won a relay bronze. [3]
In 2003 she participated in the indoor season, running the 400 metres in the heats of the 2003 World Indoor Championships, before starting her outdoor season in South Africa the same month. She attended meets in Martinique, Japan and Europe and won the Puerto Rican Championships before heading to the international championships. Harrison won the silver medal at the 2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships. At the 2003 Pan American Games, she finished fifth in the 400 metres hurdles and sixth in the 4 × 400 metres relay. She also participated at the 2003 World Championships without finishing the race. [2]
Newspapers such as El Vocero and El Nuevo Dia covered her accomplishments extensively.[ citation needed ]
She finished eighth at the 2004 Japan Grand Prix in Osaka and seventh at the Grande Premio Rio de Atletismo in Rio. [2] After that, she sustained an injury that required her to take a rest from competition for a while.[ citation needed ] She returned to attend the Golden Gala and other meets in Europe, including the KBC Night of Athletics, before winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Ibero-American Championships. Harrison subsequently made her Olympic debut at the 2004 Olympic Games, being eliminated in the heats. Competing sparingly in 2005 and 2006, she did win another bronze medal at the 2006 Ibero-American Championships, this time held in Puerto Rico, and competed at the 2006 Central American and Caribbean Games without finishing her race. [2]
She was, as of 2022, an assistant sprint coach at Saint Joseph’s University [4] alongside Michael Glavin.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the  United States | |||||
| 1992 | World Junior Championships | Seoul, South Korea | 19th (h) | 400m hurdles | 64.26 |
| 1994 | World Junior Championships | Lisbon, Portugal | 16th (h) | 400m hurdles | 61.22 |
| 1st (h) [5] | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:37.13 | |||
Representing  Puerto Rico | |||||
| 2002 | Central American and Caribbean Games | San Salvador, El Salvador | 1st | 400m hurdles | 57.39 |
Brigitte Heike Meissner is a retired German athlete. She competed mainly in the 400 metres hurdles, but also spent two seasons specializing in the 800 metres. Notable achievements include a silver medal at the 2002 European Championships, medals in 4 x 400 metres relay at the 1994 European Championships and the 1997 World Indoor Championships and a fourth place at the 1995 World Championships.
Lee McConnell is a retired Scottish athlete, who competed in the 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles having started her career as a high jumper. She is a three-time Olympian who represented Great Britain in 2004, 2008 and 2012. With 12 medals from major championships, McConnell is the third most decorated Scottish track and field athlete of all-time.
Derval O'Rourke is an Irish former sprint hurdles athlete. She competed internationally in the 60 and 100 metres hurdles, and is the Irish national record holder in the former. She participated in two Indoor World Championships, five Outdoor World Championships and the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Zuzana Hejnová is a retired Czech athlete who specialised in the 400 metres hurdles. She won the silver medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. Hejnová is a two-time World Champion, having claimed titles at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics. She won bronze at the 2012 European Championships and silver for the 400 metres at the 2017 European Indoor Championships.
Esther Julia "Daysi" Duporty Torres is a retired sprinter from Cuba, who competed at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. She set her personal best (50.61) in the women's 400 metres event on 6 September 1994 in Madrid.
Brenda Taylor is an American track and field athlete who specialises in the 400 meter hurdles. She reached the final of the event at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She also competed at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and won a medal at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 4×400-meter relay.
Shellene Williams is a retired female track and field sprinter from Jamaica. She specialized in the 200 metres and the 400 metres. Her personal best time in the women's 200 metres was 23.50 seconds, achieved in May 2004, and her 400 m best was 51.94 seconds, set in June 2004. Williams won a bronze medal in the women's 4×100 metres relay at the 2003 Pan American Games, alongside Lacena Golding-Clarke, Judyth Kitson, and Danielle Browning.
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.
Geisa Aparecida Muniz Coutinho is a Brazilian track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres sprint. She represented Brazil at the 2004 Summer Olympics and at the 2012 Summer Olympics and is a four-time participant in the World Championships in Athletics. Her personal best in the 400 m is 51.08 seconds, and she holds the South American record of 3:26.68 minutes for the 4×400 metres relay.
Darlenys Obregón Mulato is a Colombian track and field athlete who competes in the sprinting events, primarily the 200 metres in which she has a personal best of 23.09 seconds. She represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics and is a three-time participant in the World Championships in Athletics.
Omar Cisneros Bonora is a Cuban track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres hurdles. He is the Cuban national record holder for the event with his personal best of 47.99 seconds. He won gold medals in the hurdles and 4×400 metres relay at the Pan American Games in 2011.
María Princesa Oliveros Bohórquez is a Colombian track and field athlete who competes in the 100 metres hurdles and 400 metres hurdles events. Her personal bests are 13.41 seconds and 56.26 seconds, respectively. She was the gold medallist in the 400 m hurdles at the 2011 Pan American Games, at which she also won a 4×400 metres relay bronze medal in a Colombian record time.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo is a Bahamian track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. She is a two-time Olympic champion after winning the women's 400 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics and again at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Ashley Spencer 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.
Yasmani Copello Escobar is a Cuban-born track and field hurdler who represents Turkey internationally. His personal best for the 400 metres hurdles is 47.81 seconds, set in the final of the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Janieve Russell is a Jamaican track and field athlete who competes mainly in the 400 metres hurdles and the 400 metres sprint. She won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 × 400 m relay in Tokyo 2021, where she also finished fourth in the 400m hurdles final in a personal best of 53.08 secs. She is a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, winning the 400m hurdles title in 2018 and 2022, and the 4 × 400 m relay in 2014 and 2018. She has also won two relay silvers at the World Championships and a relay gold at the World Indoor Championships.
Kristi Castlin is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 metres hurdles. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics. Her personal best for the event is 12.50 seconds, set on July 8, 2016, during the finals of the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, in which she qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics by placing 2nd. She was the 2012 American champion in the indoor 60 metres hurdles and represented the United States at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She shares the world record for the shuttle hurdle relay, with her time of 50.78 seconds set in 2013.
Maria Rus is a Romanian sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres and later 400 metres hurdles. Her most significant achievements was a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2004 World Indoor Championships.
Jaide Alexandra Stepter Baynes is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 metres.
Eveline Saalberg is a Dutch sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres.
