Sharon Day-Monroe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sharon Day-Monroe

Sharon Day-Monroe at the 2015 Sam Adams Multi-Event Meet at Westmont College in Montecito, California
Personal information
Birth name	Sharon Day
Born	(1985-06-09) June 9, 1985 (age 40) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	73 kg (161 lb)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Heptathlon
University team	Cal Poly Mustangs
Club	ASICS
Team	USA
Turned pro	2008
Coached by	Jack Hoyt (2006–2015) Danny Williams (2014–2017) Les Courtemanche (2017–2018)
Retired	2018
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	2008, 2012
Highest world ranking	5th (Heptathlon, 2013)
Personal best(s)	1st: 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships (High Jump, Collegiate National Title) / U.S. Record-Holder, Indoor Pentathlon from 2014 to 2023
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  United States Pan American Junior Championships Gold 2003 Bridgetown High jump IAAF World Junior Championships Bronze 2004 Grosseto High jump

Sharon Day-Monroe (born June 9, 1985) is an American athlete. She is famous for competing in multi-event sports like the heptathlon and pentathlon. She also excelled in the high jump.

Sharon was a national champion in the heptathlon in 2011, 2013, and 2014. She also won the national indoor pentathlon championship four times in a row, from 2012 to 2015. Sharon represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She held the U.S. national record for the indoor pentathlon from 2014 until 2023.

Early Life and High Jump Success

Sharon Day-Monroe showed great talent in the high jump from a young age. In 2003, she won a gold medal in the high jump at the 2003 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. The next year, in 2004, she earned a bronze medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She cleared an impressive height of 1.91 meters (about 6 feet, 3 inches).

Sharon's family also had a strong connection to high jump. Her father, Eugene Day, coached her in high school. Her mother, Yolanda Day, was also a top high jumper. Her sister, Jasmin Day, competed in high jump for the University of Arizona.

College Athletics and New Challenges

Sharon attended Cal Poly. There, she continued to shine in track and field. In 2005, she won the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the high jump. She set a new school record by jumping 6 feet, 4 inches. She later broke her own record in 2008.

Besides track, Sharon was also a talented soccer player for the Cal Poly Mustangs. She scored 27 goals and made 14 assists in 79 games. After her soccer seasons, she started training for the heptathlon. This event combines seven different track and field challenges. Her coach, Jack Hoyt, taught her most of the new events. Before 2007, she had not competed in events like the long jump, hurdles, shot put, javelin, 200 meters, or 800 meters.

Sharon Day-Monroe's Best Performances

Sharon Day-Monroe achieved many personal bests throughout her career. These are her top performances in outdoor events:

Professional Career Highlights

Early Professional Success

In 2007, Sharon won a silver medal in the high jump at the U.S. Outdoor Championship. The next year, in 2008, she earned a bronze medal in the high jump at the same event. She then competed in the high jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

World Championships and National Titles

Sharon continued to compete at a high level. In 2009, she took home a silver medal in the heptathlon at the U.S. Outdoor Championship. She also competed in both the high jump and heptathlon at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. She was the top American finisher in the heptathlon, placing 10th.

She won another silver medal at the 2010 U.S. Outdoor Championships. In 2011, Sharon became the national heptathlon champion, scoring 6,058 points. She also competed at the 2011 World Championships in South Korea.

Olympic Appearances

Sharon qualified for her second Olympics in 2012. She won a silver medal at the U.S. Olympic Trials with 6,343 points. At the 2012 London Olympics, she finished 16th in the heptathlon.

National Indoor Pentathlon Dominance

Sharon Day-Monroe became a dominant force in the indoor pentathlon. She won the national indoor pentathlon championship in 2012 and 2013.

Breaking the American Record

In 2014, Sharon made history at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. She broke the American record for the indoor pentathlon, scoring an amazing 4,805 points. This was her third national indoor championship in a row. Her record stood for almost a decade, until 2023. For this incredible performance, she was named USATF's Athlete of the Week.

Here's how she performed in the record-breaking pentathlon:

Continued Success and Retirement

Sharon continued her winning streak, claiming the 2014 USATF Outdoor Championship in the heptathlon. In 2015, she won her fourth consecutive national indoor pentathlon championship. She also placed second in the heptathlon at the 2015 USATF Outdoor Championship. Later that year, she competed at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing.

In 2016, she finished fourth in the heptathlon at the United States Olympic Trials. She earned a silver medal in the pentathlon at the 2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Sharon Day-Monroe retired from professional competition in 2018, leaving behind an impressive legacy in track and field.