Kendra Harrison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kendra Harrison

Harrison in 2018
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Keni Harrison
Born	(1992-09-18) September 18, 1992 (age 32) Tennessee, U.S.
Height	5 ft 4 in
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	100 meters hurdles, 60 meters hurdles
College team	Kentucky
Team	Adidas
Coached by	Edrick Floréal
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m hurdles: 12.20 AR (London 2016) 400 m hurdles: 54.09 (Eugene, OR 2015) Indoors 60 m hurdles: 7.70 AR (Birmingham 2018)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Silver 2020 Tokyo 100 m hurdles World Championships Silver 2019 Doha 100 m hurdles Bronze 2023 Budapest 100 m hurdles World Indoor Championships Gold 2018 Birmingham 60 m hurdles NACAC Championships Gold 2018 Toronto 100 m hurdles Representing Americas Continental Cup Silver 2018 Ostrava 100 m hurdles

Kendra "Keni" Harrison, born on September 18, 1992, is an American track and field star. She is famous for running in hurdle races. Keni once held the world record for the women's 100-meter hurdles. She set this amazing record on July 22, 2016, in London, with a time of 12.20 seconds. This beat a record that had stood for almost 28 years!

While in college at the University of Kentucky, she won big championships in 2015. Even though she tripped and missed the 2016 Olympics, she still broke the world record that same year! Keni has won many medals, including a gold at the 2018 World Indoor Championship. She also earned silver medals at the 2019 World Championship and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (which happened in 2021).

Keni Harrison's Journey

Growing Up and Starting Track

Kendra Harrison was born in Tennessee on September 18, 1992. She was adopted by Gary and Karon Harrison. Keni grew up in a big family with ten other children. Eight of her siblings were also adopted.

Keni's first sport was soccer. She started track and field when she went to Clayton High School. This was in Clayton, North Carolina. She quickly became a top hurdler in school. She won state championships in 2010 and 2011. In 2011, she also won the 100-meter hurdles at the New Balance Nationals. She was named the best female track and field athlete in North Carolina that year.

College Sports Career

After high school in 2011, Keni went to Clemson University. In 2012, as a freshman, she won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. She won in both the 400-meter hurdles and the 4 × 400-meter relay. She also competed in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2012 Olympic Trials.

In 2013, Keni placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles. She also finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA outdoor championships.

Moving to Kentucky

After the 2013 season, Keni moved from Clemson to the University of Kentucky. Her coach, Tim Hall, and another sprinter, Dezerea Bryant, also moved. Keni kept getting better. In 2014, she won both the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships. She was the first athlete since 1999 to win both events.

At the NCAA outdoor championships, Keni was a favorite to win. But she didn't run her best in the 400-meter hurdles. She placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles for the second year in a row.

Winning NCAA Titles

Keni hurt her hamstring in late 2014. This made her miss the start of the 2015 indoor season. But she came back strong! She won the 60-meter hurdles at both the SEC and NCAA indoor championships. She set new personal bests in both races. Her time of 7.87 seconds at the NCAA meet was the fourth fastest in the world that indoor season.

Keni also won her first outdoor NCAA title in 2015. She won the 100-meter hurdles in 12.55 seconds. In the 400-meter hurdles, she finished second. Her time of 54.09 was the second fastest in the world that year. In November 2015, Keni was honored with the NCAA's Today's Top 10 Award. This award goes to athletes who do well in sports, school, and their community.

Professional Track and Field

After graduating, Keni continued to train with her coach, Edrick Floréal. At the 2015 United States championships, Keni focused only on the 100-meter hurdles. She ran a personal best time in the heats. In the final, she placed second, just behind Olympic Champion Dawn Harper-Nelson. This qualified her for the World Championships in Beijing. However, at the World Championships, Keni had a false start in the semi-finals and was disqualified.

Breaking Records and Olympic Dreams

Keni started her 2016 indoor season by winning the 60-meter hurdles in several races. At the 2016 USA Indoor Championships, she placed second by a tiny amount. She set a personal record of 7.77 seconds. A week later, at the 2016 World Indoor Championships, she led in qualifying. But in the final, she hit the first hurdle and finished eighth.

She began the outdoor season in April with a very fast time of 12.36 seconds. This was the fastest start ever for a hurdler. Then, in May, she ran an incredible 12.24 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic. This was the second fastest time in history! Only Yordanka Donkova's world record from 1988 was faster.

Keni was expected to win the 100-meter hurdles at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials. But she only placed sixth and missed qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. The three spots on the U.S. Olympic team went to other athletes.

Even though she missed the Olympics, Keni broke the 100-meter hurdles world record on July 22, 2016. This happened at the London Müller Anniversary Games. She ran 12.20 seconds, beating Donkova's record by one hundredth of a second!

In 2021, Keni finally qualified for her first Olympics. On August 2, 2021, she won the silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Keni's Achievements

Harrison (R) celebrates her 60 m hurdles victory at the 2018 World Indoor Championships held in Birmingham.

Fastest Times (Personal Bests)

• 60-meter hurdles – 7.70 seconds (Birmingham 2018) =North American record
• 100-meter hurdles – 12.20 seconds (London 2016) North American record
• 400-meter hurdles – 54.09 seconds (Eugene, OR 2015)

Major International Competitions

Representing the  United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	– (sf)	100 m hurdles	DQ
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	8th	60 m hurdles	8.87
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	4th	100 m hurdles	12.74
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	60 m hurdles	7.70
	NACAC Championships	Toronto, Canada	1st	100 m hurdles	12.55
	IAAF Continental Cup	Ostrava, Czech Republic	2nd	100 m hurdles	12.52
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	2nd	100 m hurdles	12.46
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	2nd	100 m hurdles	12.52
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	2nd (sf)	100 m hurdles	12.271
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	3rd	100 m hurdles	12.46

¹Disqualified in the final

National Titles (College)

• NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships
  • 60-meter hurdles: 2015
• NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
  • 100-meter hurdles: 2015

See also

In Spanish: Kendra Harrison para niños