Vashti Cunningham facts for kids
![]() Cunningham at the 2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
January 18, 1998 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 55 kg (121 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | High jump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Nike | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turned pro | 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | High jump outdoor: 2.02 m (6 ft 7.40255906 in) (Chula Vista 2021) High jump indoor: 2.00 m (6 ft 6.61515748 in) (Fayetteville 2021) |
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Medal record
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Vashti Cunningham, born on January 18, 1998, is an amazing American athlete. She is famous for her skills in track and field, especially in the high jump. Vashti comes from a family of talented athletes. Her dad, Randall Cunningham, was a well-known quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Her uncle, Sam Cunningham, was also an NFL player. Vashti's older brother, Randall Cunningham II, is also a high jumper.
Her mom, Felicity de Jager Cunningham, was a ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Vashti went to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. In March 2016, she decided to become a professional athlete and joined Nike. She also planned to continue her education at a university.
Contents
Vashti's High Jump Journey
Setting New Records
Vashti Cunningham started making headlines in high jump at a young age. On April 18, 2015, when she was just 17, she jumped 1.94 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California. This jump set a new national high school record for the United States. It was also one of the top jumps in the world for athletes under 19 years old.
Later that year, in June 2015, Vashti won the U.S. Junior National Championship. A month after that, at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, she jumped even higher, reaching 1.96 meters. This incredible jump matched the World Youth Best, which is the best jump ever for athletes under 18.
Becoming a World Champion
Vashti continued to impress everyone. On March 12, 2016, she jumped 1.99 meters while winning the 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Portland, Oregon. This jump set a new World Junior Record, meaning it was the highest jump ever by a junior athlete. Just eight days later, she won the World Indoor Championship in the same city. This made her a world champion at a very young age!
More Wins and Medals
Vashti kept winning titles in the following years. In March 2017, she won the 2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships by jumping 1.96 meters. She also won at the Mt. SAC Relays and Penn Relays that year. She earned a bronze medal at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a jump of 2.00 meters.
In February 2018, Vashti won her third straight indoor high jump title at the 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She also won a silver medal at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
On July 7, 2023, Vashti Cunningham won her 13th U.S. high jump title. This victory happened at the U.S. outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon. She continues to be one of the top high jumpers in the world.
Vashti's Competition Results
Vashti has competed in many important events around the world. Here are some of her top results:
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
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Representing the ![]() |
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2015 | Pan American Junior Championships | Edmonton, Alberta | 1st | 1.96 m | |
2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, Oregon | 1st | 1.96 m | |
Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 13th | 1.88 m | ||
2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 10th | 1.92 m | |
2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 2nd | 1.93 m | |
2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 3rd | 2.00 m | |
2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 6th | 1.96 m | |
2022 | World Championships | Eugene, United States | 18th (q) | 1.86 m | |
NACAC Championships | Freeport, Bahamas | 1st | 1.92 m | ||
2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 11th | 1.90 m | |
2024 | World Indoor Championships | Glasgow, United Kingdom | ― | DNS | |
Olympic Games | Paris, France | 5th | 1.95 | ||
2025 | World Indoor Championships | Nanjing, China | 10th | 1.85 m |
- Vashti holds the Pan American junior championships record.
- She also holds the world youth record.
USA National Championships and Olympic Trials
Vashti has won many national titles in the United States. Here are her results from the USA championships and Olympic trials:
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
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2016 | 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Portland, Oregon | 1st | 1.99 m |
2016 United States Olympic trials | Eugene, Oregon | 2nd | 1.97 m | |
2017 | 2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1st | 1.96 m |
2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Sacramento, California | 1st | 1.99 m | |
2018 | 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1st | 1.97 m |
2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 1st | 1.95 m | |
2019 | 2019 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Staten Island, New York | 1st | 1.96 m |
2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 1st | 1.96 m | |
2020 | 2020 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1st | 1.97 m |
2021 | 2020 United States Olympic trials | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 1.96 m |
2022 | 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Spokane, Washington | 1st | 1.91 m |
2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 1.93 m | |
2023 | 2023 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1st | 2.00 m |
2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 1.91 m | |
2024 | 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1st | 1.92 m |
2024 United States Olympic trials | Eugene, Oregon | 3rd | 1.91 m |
|2025 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships |Ocean Breeze Athl. Complex, New York, NY (USA) (i) |bgcolor=gold|1st
- Vashti holds the American junior record.
- She also holds the American junior outdoor record.
See also
In Spanish: Vashti Cunningham para niños