Barbara Nwaba facts for kids
Barbara Nwaba at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Barbara Udoezi Nwaba | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 18, 1989 Los Angeles, California, United States |
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| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A. 2012) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Track and field athlete | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Santa Barbara Track Club | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Josh Priester | |||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2016, 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on 02:41, 30 June 2015 (UTC). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Barbara Udoezi Nwaba, born on January 18, 1989, is an American athlete who competes in track and field. She is part of the Santa Barbara Track Club. Barbara is especially good at multi-event competitions like the pentathlon and heptathlon. In 2015, she became the USA Outdoor Track and Field champion in the heptathlon.
Early Life and School
Barbara Nwaba was born on January 18, 1989, in Los Angeles, California. Her parents, Theodore and Blessing Nwaba, are from Nigeria. Barbara is the oldest of six children in her family.
She graduated from University High School in 2007. While in high school, Barbara was a champion in the 300 meters hurdles in 2007. She also placed second four times and competed in the high jump at the CIF California State Meet.
College Years
Barbara went to the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) to study optometry. She later changed her major and graduated in 2012 with a degree in sociology.
During her time at UCSB, she set school records in the 100 meters hurdles and 400 meters hurdles. She was also part of the record-setting 4 × 400 meters relay team. Barbara became the champion of the Big West Conference heptathlon in 2012 and was named an All-American athlete.
Barbara's brother, David Nwaba, is a professional basketball player.
Athletic Career
After college, Barbara continued to train with the Santa Barbara Track Club. Her coach, Josh Priester, helped her improve a lot. In 2012, she finished fifth at the Olympic Trials, scoring 5986 points.
From 2012 to 2013, Barbara also worked as an assistant coach at Santa Barbara High School.
Major Competitions
At the 2014 Outdoor Championships, Barbara finished second in the heptathlon. She scored 6307 points, just behind Sharon Day-Monroe.
In 2015, Barbara became the American Champion in the heptathlon. She scored exactly 6500 points, beating Sharon Day-Monroe by 42 points. This score made her the sixth-highest-scoring heptathlon athlete in United States history at that time.
At the 2015 World Championships, Barbara had a tough start. She stumbled over the first hurdle and fell over the second. Even though this cost her points, she kept going and finished the heptathlon. She placed 27th with 5,315 points and set new personal bests in the javelin and shot put.
Olympic Journey
Barbara Nwaba became the 2016 American Pentathlon Champion. This win allowed her to represent the USA at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. There, she won a bronze medal in the Pentathlon, scoring 4661 points. She finished behind Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Alina Fyodorova.
Barbara scored 6494 points in the heptathlon at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials. This score qualified her to join Team USA for the Olympics. She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics and finished 12th, being the top American athlete in the event.
