Jefferson joins a group of women that has combined for nine Olympic gold medals
Kyra Jefferson Makes Collegiate History
Tuesday, April 26, 2016 | Track and Field
Jefferson is one of five women in the world since 2002 to break 11.20, 22.25, and 51.51 in the 100, 200, and 400 meters, respectively
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Last Friday (April 22) at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, University of Florida sprinter Kyra Jefferson became the first woman in history to break 11.20 seconds in the 100 meters, 22.25 seconds in the 200 meters, and 51.51 seconds in the 400 meters as a collegian.
Moreover, according to athlete profiles maintained by the International Association of Athletics Federation, Jefferson joins four-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix (United States), 2008 Olympic silver medalist Kim Gevaert (Belgium), four-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross (United States), and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) as the only sprinters in the world to accomplish that feat since 2002.
Although complete records pre-dating 2002 are not readily available on the IAAF's site, American sprinter and three-time world champion Marion Jones also broke all three times by 1998.
Jefferson, a Detroit native and Cass Technical High School alum, ran the 100 meters for the first time in her collegiate career at the Tom Jones Memorial, clocking a wind-legal time of 11.17 seconds. Her school record-breaking time of 22.24 seconds in the 200 meters, tied for the eighth-fastest run in collegiate history, came in her fourth-place finish the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships. Jefferson's 400 meters personal record of 51.50 seconds came at the 2015 Pepsi Florida Relays.
This season, Jefferson ranks tied for fourth in the 100 meters and ninth in the 400 meters (52.11 seconds) among Division I runners. She has yet to run the 200 meters during UF's 2016 outdoor campaign.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Mike Holloway, Florida Track and Field Head Coach
On his initial reaction to hearing Kyra had made collegiate history…
"My first reaction was, 'Wow.' When you think about all the great female sprinters that have come through the NCAA ranks, to think she's the only one who's done that is pretty phenomenal. But it also just speaks to Kyra, who she is and all the hard work she's been doing. Very, very proud of her, and we hope to improve upon those stats."
On how challenging the feat is to accomplish given how different each of the sprints is…
"The biggest challenge is from a mental standpoint, having somebody that's willing to put the work in to do all three. You have to have the speed and power of the 100, versus the speed and endurance of the 400. To be able to have all those attributes not only speaks to hear training, but also to her talent. Genetically, she's pretty blessed."
Kyra Jefferson, Florida redshirt junior sprinter
On being the only collegian to accomplish this feat…
"It's a really great accomplishment, yet not really expected. It just shows that if you put your mind to something you can do it and surprise yourself. It's always good to be the first at something. I just take it as an honor and a blessing to be able to do that, and to represent the University of Florida."
Notes: Only wind-legal 100 meters and 200 meters times were counted for the research related to this release. Indoor 200 and 400 meters times are not included.
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Moreover, according to athlete profiles maintained by the International Association of Athletics Federation, Jefferson joins four-time Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix (United States), 2008 Olympic silver medalist Kim Gevaert (Belgium), four-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross (United States), and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) as the only sprinters in the world to accomplish that feat since 2002.
Although complete records pre-dating 2002 are not readily available on the IAAF's site, American sprinter and three-time world champion Marion Jones also broke all three times by 1998.
Jefferson, a Detroit native and Cass Technical High School alum, ran the 100 meters for the first time in her collegiate career at the Tom Jones Memorial, clocking a wind-legal time of 11.17 seconds. Her school record-breaking time of 22.24 seconds in the 200 meters, tied for the eighth-fastest run in collegiate history, came in her fourth-place finish the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships. Jefferson's 400 meters personal record of 51.50 seconds came at the 2015 Pepsi Florida Relays.
This season, Jefferson ranks tied for fourth in the 100 meters and ninth in the 400 meters (52.11 seconds) among Division I runners. She has yet to run the 200 meters during UF's 2016 outdoor campaign.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Mike Holloway, Florida Track and Field Head Coach
On his initial reaction to hearing Kyra had made collegiate history…
"My first reaction was, 'Wow.' When you think about all the great female sprinters that have come through the NCAA ranks, to think she's the only one who's done that is pretty phenomenal. But it also just speaks to Kyra, who she is and all the hard work she's been doing. Very, very proud of her, and we hope to improve upon those stats."
On how challenging the feat is to accomplish given how different each of the sprints is…
"The biggest challenge is from a mental standpoint, having somebody that's willing to put the work in to do all three. You have to have the speed and power of the 100, versus the speed and endurance of the 400. To be able to have all those attributes not only speaks to hear training, but also to her talent. Genetically, she's pretty blessed."
Kyra Jefferson, Florida redshirt junior sprinter
On being the only collegian to accomplish this feat…
"It's a really great accomplishment, yet not really expected. It just shows that if you put your mind to something you can do it and surprise yourself. It's always good to be the first at something. I just take it as an honor and a blessing to be able to do that, and to represent the University of Florida."
Notes: Only wind-legal 100 meters and 200 meters times were counted for the research related to this release. Indoor 200 and 400 meters times are not included.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators; #PushTheButton; #FinishTheMission
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