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Vashti Cunningham facts for kids

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Vashti Cunningham
USATF day 3 2018 (41165573430).jpg
Cunningham at the 2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Personal information
Born (1998-01-18) January 18, 1998 (age 27)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
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)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Bronze 2019 Doha High jump
World Indoor Championships
Gold 2016 Portland High jump
Silver 2018 Birmingham High jump
Pan American Junior Championships
Gold 2015 Edmonton High jump

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.

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
Representing the  United States
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
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

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vashti Cunningham para niños

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