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Vashti Cunningham

Vashti Cunningham
Cunningham at the 2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Personal information
Born (1998-01-18) January 18, 1998 (age 27)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.[1]
Height6 ft 1 in (1.86 m)[2]
Weight121 lb (55 kg)[2]
Sport
SportTrack and field
EventHigh jump
ClubNike
Turned pro2016
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)High jump outdoor: 2.02 m (6 ft 7+1⁄2 in) (Chula Vista 2021)
High jump indoor: 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) (Fayetteville 2021)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Doha High jump
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Portland High jump
Silver medal – second place 2018 Birmingham High jump
NACAC Championships
Gold medal – first place 2025 Freeport High jump
Pan American Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Edmonton High jump

Vashti Cunningham (born January 18, 1998) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She is the daughter of retired National Football League (NFL) quarterback Randall Cunningham, niece of retired NFL fullback Sam Cunningham, and the younger sister of Randall Cunningham II. Her mother is Felicity de Jager Cunningham, a former ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.[3] Vashti, like her brother two years ahead of her in school, jumped for Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada until March 2016 when she signed with Nike. She announced at that time she intended to continue her education at a university while competing as a professional athlete.[4]

Jumping career

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On April 18, 2015, at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, Cunningham jumped 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄4 in),[5] to set the new national high school record. At age 17, that was also equal to the No. 4 world Youth mark (under 19 years old).[6] At that date it was the No. 3 mark in the world in 2015.[7] She was named USATF Athlete of the Week for that performance.[8] On June 27, 2015, she won the U.S. Junior National Championship.[9] A month later at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, she improved again, jumping 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in). That mark equaled the World Youth Best.

On March 12, 2016, Vashti jumped 1.99 m (6 ft 6+1⁄4 in) while winning the 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Portland, Oregon.[10] The mark established a new World Junior Record. At the time, just one week before the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, which were held in the same facility in the Portland convention center, Cunningham's jump was the No. 1 jump in the world in 2016.[11] Eight days later, she won the World Indoor Championship.

In March 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) to win at 2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. On April 15, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄4 in) to win in Torrance, California at Mt. SAC Relays, two weeks later she jumped 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) to win at Penn Relays. Cunningham jumped 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) to place 3rd behind World Champion Mariya Lasitskene on May 27 in Eugene at IAAF Diamond League 2017 Prefontaine Classic. On June 23, Cunningham jumped 1.99 m (6 ft 6+1⁄4 in) to win in 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Sacramento State University. On July 9, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) to place 2nd at London Müller Anniversary Games. On July 21, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) to place 3rd at IAAF Diamond League 2017 Herculis in Fontvieille, Monaco. On August 12, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in) to place 10th at World Championships.

On February 18, 2018, Cunningham jumped 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) to win third consecutive high jump indoor title and 4th US senior title at 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On March 1, Cunningham jumped 1.93 m (6 ft 3+3⁄4 in) to place second behind World Champion Mariya Lasitskene in high jump at 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

On July 7, 2023, Vashti Cunningham claimed her 13th U.S. high jump title with a victory at the U.S. outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Competition record

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing the  United States
2015 Pan American Junior Championships Edmonton, Alberta 1st 1.96 m[a]
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, Oregon 1st 1.96 m
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 13th 1.88 m
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 10th 1.92 m
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd 1.93 m
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 3rd 2.00 m
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 6th 1.96 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 18th (q) 1.86 m
NACAC Championships Freeport, Bahamas 1st 1.92 m
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 11th 1.90 m
2024 World Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom ― DNS
Olympic Games Paris, France 5th 1.95 m
2025 World Indoor Championships Nanjing, China 10th 1.85 m
NACAC Championships Freeport, Bahamas 2nd 1.91 m
a Pan American junior championships record and world youth record

USA national championships and Olympic trials

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
2016 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Portland, Oregon 1st 1.99 m
2016 United States Olympic trials Eugene, Oregon 2nd 1.97 m[a]
2017 2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 1.96 m
2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Sacramento, California 1st 1.99 m[b]
2018 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 1.97 m
2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Des Moines, Iowa 1st 1.95 m
2019 2019 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Staten Island, New York 1st 1.96 m
2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Des Moines, Iowa 1st 1.96 m
2020 2020 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 1.97 m[12]
2021 2020 United States Olympic trials Eugene, Oregon 1st 1.96 m
2022 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Spokane, Washington 1st 1.91 m
2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon 1st 1.93 m
2023 2023 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 2.00 m[13]
2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon 1st 1.91 m
2024 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 1.92 m
2024 United States Olympic trials Eugene, Oregon 3rd 1.91 m

|2025 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships |Ocean Breeze Athl. Complex, New York, NY (USA) (i) |bgcolor=gold|1st

a American junior record
b American junior outdoor record

References

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  1. ^ "Vashti Cunningham". teamusa.org. USOC. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Vashti Cunningham". eurosport.com. Eurosport. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "A Gifted High Jumper Gets Set To Leap Onto The World Stage". Npr.org. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Bishop Gorman's Vashti Cunningham turns pro, signs with Nike". Reviewjournal.com. March 21, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  5. ^ [1] Archived April 27, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "IAAF: High Jump - women - u18 - outdoor - iaaf.org". Iaaf.org. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  7. ^ "IAAF: High Jump - women - senior - outdoor - 2015 - iaaf.org". Iaaf.org. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. ^ [2] Archived October 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Women High Jump JR". Flashresults.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "Women High Jump". Flashresults.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  11. ^ "IAAF: Teenage star Cunningham flies high at US Indoor Championships- News - iaaf.org". Iaaf.org. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  12. ^ Vashti Cunningham Women's High Jump Champion – Toyota USATF Indoor Championships 2020 DyeStat.com
  13. ^ Vashti Cunningham 1st Place Women's High Jump – USATF Indoor Championships 2023 DyeStat.com
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