Kentucky Track & Field Stars Shine at World Championships
DOHA, Qatar. – An exceptional contingent of track and field stars who attended the University of Kentucky had a strong showing over the past 10 days at the IAAF World Athletics Championships. Anchored by Sydney McLaughlin’s two medals, the Kentucky track and field program can now boast in having top-10 athletes in the world across eight different events.
Go Syd, Go!
It took a world record time of 52.16 from Dalilah Muhammad to defeat McLaughlin, who set a personal-best time of 52.23, in the 400-meter hurdles, which earned her a silver medal. It was a two-runner show in the final as Muhammad and McLaughlin stole the show record-breaking times.
McLaughlin would go on to win a gold medal in the 4x400m relay with her United States teammates as the team recorded a time of 3:18.92 and beat second-place Poland by almost three seconds. McLaughlin ran a 48.8 second leg in the relay.
Keni and Dez Earn Medals
Keni Harrison won a silver medal with a phenomenal showing in the 100m hurdles, recording a time of 12.46 and narrowly losing out on gold to USA teammate Nia Ali, who set her own personal-best time with a 12.34.
Harrison, who claimed the World TItle in the Indoor 60H in 2018, earned her first global medal in the 100H – in which she owns the world record (12.20). She infamously set that record in 2016 two weeks after missing out on the U.S. Olympic Team. She was an agonizing fourth at the 2017 World Championships. Harrison won two NCAA Championships and five Southeastern Conference Golds between 2014-2015 at UK.
Dezerea Bryant earned a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay as her and the USA squad ran a 42.10, just behind Great Britain (41.85) and Jamaica (41.44). Bryant also ran a 22.63 in the 200m final, placing her fifth after winning the U.S. Gold earlier this summer. Bryant won two NCAA 200m Golds and an SEC title between 2014-15 at UK.
Mason and Saunders Jump Into The Top-10
Canadian Michael Mason finished seventh in the high jump final with a mark of 7’6.5″ (2.30m) while Sha’keela Saunders earned a ninth-place finish in the long jump final with a mark of 21’5.5″ (6.54m), missing the final cutoff by two centimeters. Both Mason and Saunders performed well as they’ll now begin preparations for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Saunders won the NCAA Title in the indoor long jump in 2017, in addition to a SEC gold the year before.
Heartbreak For D-Rob and Tim
UK superstar Daniel Roberts suffered a moment of adversity when he won the third heat of the 110m hurdles. During the race, Roberts clipped a hurdle in the adjacent lane, bringing the hurdle down, which caused him to be disqualified from moving on.
Roberts emerged as the second fastest collegiate hurdler in history in 2019 before turning pro and winning the USATF Gold in July. He won the SEC 110m hurdles in May.
Great Britain star Tim Duckworth suffered an injury prior to the men’s decathlon, forcing him to withdraw from proceedings.
Duckworth won the NCAA indoor heptathlon and outdoor decathlon in 2018, his senior season at UK.
Tim Hall Coaches “World’s Fastest Man”
Kentucky assistant coach Tim Hall coached Christian Coleman, a Tennessee alumnus who trains at UK and mentors some of the Wildcats, who also won the 100m in Qatar with a time of 9.76. Hall also coached Daniel Roberts and several other impressive athletes.
Overall, it was a successful World Athletics Championships for the Kentucky Wildcats of past and present as the track and field program is represented by some of the world’s very best.
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