Kendall Baisden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Personal information
Born	(1995-03-05) March 5, 1995 (age 30) Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Height	5 ft 11 in
Weight	120 lb
Sport
Sport	Athletics
University team	University of Texas
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  United States Pan American Games Gold 2015 Toronto 400 m Gold 2015 Toronto 4 × 400 m relay
Updated on September 19, 2015.

Kendall Baisden was born on March 5, 1995. She is an American track and field athlete. Kendall is known for her fast running in sprint races. She is especially good at the 400-meter dash. Her best time for this race is 50.46 seconds, which she set in 2014.

Kendall has won many important races. She was a double champion at the 2015 Pan American Games. There, she won gold medals in both the 400-meter race and the 4×400-meter relay. She also won two gold medals at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. While in college, she ran for the University of Texas at Austin. She helped her team win national relay titles both indoors and outdoors.

Kendall's Running Journey

Starting Young

Kendall Baisden grew up in Beverly Hills, Michigan. Her parents are Tina and Anthony Baisden. When she was young, Kendall first wanted to play tennis. She looked up to famous tennis player Serena Williams. But during tennis practice, her coaches noticed how fast she was. They suggested she try track and field instead.

Kendall quickly became a great sprinter. She ran in different sprint races. At state competitions, she won three titles in the 400-meter dash. She also won two titles each in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. By age twelve, she was already doing well at national events. She placed in the top three for the 200-meter race at the 2007 AAU Junior Olympic Games.

In 2009, she set American records for her age group. She won two national Junior Olympic titles in short sprints. Her times were 11.73 seconds for the 100-meter and 23.69 seconds for the 200-meter.

Moving to Longer Sprints

In 2010, Kendall started focusing more on the longer 400-meter sprint. She won the under-16s Junior Olympic title in this event. She also became the national junior champion for the 400-meter. Her time of 52.59 seconds that year made her one of the best young sprinters in the world.

In 2011, she continued to focus on the 400-meter. She finished second at the national youth trials. Then, she placed sixth in the 400-meter race at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics. She also won her first international medal, a silver, in the sprint medley relay.

In 2012, Kendall placed third at the USA Junior Championships. This earned her a spot on the relay team for the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. In Barcelona, her American team won the gold medal in the 4×400-meter relay. Her teammates were Erika Rucker, Olivia Ekpone, and Ashley Spencer.

Kendall improved her best time to 52.03 seconds in 2013. She finished second at the national junior championships. Later, she won her first individual international medal at the 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. She came in second behind Courtney Okolo. She then won a gold medal in the relay with her teammate.

College Success and World Junior Champion

In late 2013, Kendall started college at the University of Texas at Austin. She studied business. She quickly became a very important runner for the Texas Longhorns track team. In 2014, she was a finalist in both the 200-meter and 400-meter races at the Big 12 Conference indoor meet. She also helped her team finish second in the relay.

At the 2014 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, she placed fifth in the 400-meter. Her team set the second-fastest indoor 4×400-meter relay time ever for college athletes. The team included Briana Nelson, Okolo, Baisden, and Spencer.

At the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Championships, Kendall earned points for Texas in four events. She won both the 4×100-meter relay and 4×400-meter relay. She was second in the 400-meter and fourth in the 200-meter. Her 400-meter time of 50.46 seconds was her personal best. It was also the fastest time by a junior athlete that year. This amazing time made her one of the top senior athletes in the world for the 400-meter in 2014.

Kendall placed third in the 400-meter at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Only her teammate Okolo and Phyllis Francis were faster. Kendall and Okolo then helped Texas win the 4×400-meter relay college title. Their team, with Nelson, Baisden, Morolake Akinosun, and Okolo, set a record for the NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. It was also the second-fastest time ever by a college team. Kendall also helped her team finish third in the NCAA 4×100-meter relay.

Kendall won her first national junior title in 2014. After that, she won individual and relay gold medals at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She ran with Shamier Little, Olivia Baker, and Shakima Wimbley in the relay.

In early 2015, she won the Big 12 indoor titles in the 400-meter and relay. At the 2015 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, she won the relay title. She also led the Texas women's sprint team at the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She finished second in the 400-meter behind Kala Funderburk.

Becoming a Pan American Champion

After her college season, Kendall competed at the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She ran a fast 50.50 seconds to reach the final. Even though she placed seventh in the final, her strong performances earned her a spot on the U.S. team for the 2015 Pan American Games.

At the Pan American Games, Kendall ran the 400-meter final in 51.27 seconds. This made her the first American woman to win this event in 36 years! The last winner was Sharon Dabney in 1979. Kendall also teamed up with Shakima Wimbley, Shamier Little, and Kyra Jefferson. Together, they won gold medals in the 4×400-meter relay, beating the Jamaican team.

Kendall's Best Times

These are Kendall Baisden's personal best times in different races:

Outdoor

• 100-meter dash – 11.55 seconds (2010)
• 200-meter dash – 22.80 seconds (2015)
• 400-meter dash – 50.46 seconds (2014)

Indoor

• 60-meter dash – 7.39 seconds (2015)
• 200-meter dash – 23.74 seconds (2015)
• 400-meter dash – 52.01 seconds (2014)

National Championships Won

Kendall has won these national titles:

• NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships
  • 4 × 400 m relay: 2014
• NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships
  • 4 × 400 m relay: 2015

International Competitions

See also

• List of 2015 Pan American Games medal winners