Brenda Taylor (hurdler) facts for kids

Brenda Taylor, born on February 9, 1979, is an American track and field athlete. She is best known for running the 400 meter hurdles, which is a race where athletes jump over obstacles. Brenda even made it to the final of this event at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

She also competed in the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. In 2003, she won a bronze medal at the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships as part of the 4×400-meter relay team. Brenda is also a graduate of Harvard University. She won the hurdles at the 2001 NCAA Championships while running for the Harvard Crimson track team.

Brenda Taylor's Athletic Journey

Brenda Taylor was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up in Boone, North Carolina. After finishing Watauga High School in 1997, she went to Harvard University. There, she studied psychology and biology and continued her track career with the Harvard Crimson team.

In 2000, Brenda finished seventh in the 400 meter hurdles at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Her biggest achievements in college came in her last year at Harvard. She ran her fastest time of 55.88 seconds to win the NCAA final. Later, she improved her time to 55.46 seconds at a competition in Zagreb.

Brenda then earned a bronze medal at the 2001 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of these successes, Brenda received the 2000–01 Honda Sports Award. This award is given to the best women's college track athlete.

Competing on the World Stage

Brenda's strong performance at the national championships helped her get chosen for the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. She finished sixth in her semi-final race there. The next year, she again placed third in the 400 meter hurdles at the national championships.

In 2003, Brenda started the season by finishing fourth in the 400 metres at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. This earned her a spot on the 4 × 400-meter relay team for the 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships. The American team, which included Brenda, won the bronze medal at this event.

During the outdoor season, Brenda won first place at the Mt. SAC Relays. She also finished third again at the Outdoor U.S. Championships. Brenda was then selected to compete at the 2003 Pan American Games. She finished fourth in the 400 meter hurdles final.

Brenda also competed in Europe. She placed third in Zagreb and fourth at the Weltklasse Zurich competition. There, she set a new personal record of 54.92 seconds. She also qualified for the 2003 IAAF World Athletics Final and finished in fifth place.

Olympic Dreams and Top Rankings

The year 2004 was a highlight in Brenda's athletic career. She won the Mt. SAC Relays with a new meet record. She also ran her personal best time of 54.36 seconds to finish second at the Golden Spike Ostrava event.

At the 2004 United States Olympic Trials, Brenda improved even more. She finished second with an amazing time of 53.36 seconds. This earned her a spot on the Olympic team for the first time!

Brenda then competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She reached the Olympic hurdles final. She finished in seventh place with a time of 54.97 seconds. She ended the season by winning a bronze medal at the 2004 IAAF World Athletics Final. Her best time of 53.36 seconds made her the fifth fastest 400 meter hurdler in the world in 2004.

Brenda has a twin sister named Lindsay Taylor. Lindsay also competes in track and field, specializing in the pole vault. Brenda stopped competing professionally after 2004.

Brenda Taylor's Best Times

Here are Brenda Taylor's fastest times in her main events:

See also

In Spanish: Brenda Taylor para niños