Ricky Quintana
Team USA claimed a record 33 total medals at the 10-day World Athletics Championships that ended on Sunday at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. The medal count broke the previous record of 31 set by East Germany in 1987.
Out of the 13 U.S. golds, one was earned by UF graduate Grant Holloway in the 110-meter hurdles and two were claimed by current Gators — Talitha Diggs in the women’s 4×400 relay and Champion Allison in the men’s 4×400 relay.
Holloway defended his 2019 World Championship title beating FSU grad Trey Cunningham in 13.03 seconds to 13.08. It was the third time an athlete has won back-to-back titles. Holloway could be the second person in history to win three titles in a row at next year’s World Championships. Holloway also won gold at the World Indoor Championships in March and silver in last year’s Olympics.
Diggs ran the fastest split for all leadoff runners in 50.50 to give team USA a lead it never relinquished. Diggs, Abby Steiner, Britton Wilson and Sydney McLaughlin ran the event in 3:17.79 minutes to record the eighth fastest mark of all time and the fifth fastest time in American history.
Allison anchored the USA team of Elija Godwin, Michael Norman, and Bryce Deadmon that ran 2:56.17 and outdistanced Jamaica, who finished second in 2:58.18. It was the 10th fastest time in history.
Two others with ties to Gainesville also won gold medals for the USA. Noah Lyles won the 200 meters in 19.31 to break Michael Johnson’s American record by 0.01 seconds. Lyles, who was born in Gainesville and lived here through elementary school, finished with the fourth fastest time in history. Lyles was also part of the 4×100 relay team that finished second to Canada’s 37.48 with a time of 37.55.
Katie Negeotte, who is engaged to Gainesville Area Rowing head coach Hugo Moon, soared to a 15-foot, 11-inch clearance to win the title. Negeotte, who lives in Atlanta, overcame an injury-riddled season to record the season’s best jump in the world. She also won the Olympic gold last summer and a silver at the World Indoor Championships in March.
UF’s Anna Hall was the other medal winner from the area. Hall finished with a career-best 6,755 points in the heptathlon to earn the bronze medal. It was the first medal in the event for a USA athlete since 2001 and the third highest score in American history. Hall also eclipsed the 37-year-old collegiate record of 6,718 set by the legendary Jackie Joyner Kersee when she competed for UCLA.
En route to her bronze medal finish, Hall set personal bests in the javelin, shot put and 200. She placed no lower than ninth in any of the seven events and finished first in the 800 and 200. Her historical season included SEC and NCAA Indoor Championships in the pentathlon, and USATF and NCAA Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon. She was also named one of three finalists for the Bowerman Trophy, which recognizes the nation’s top collegiate track and field athlete. It will be awarded in December.
Below is a list of athletes who compete or competed for UF or have ties to Gainesville.
Men’s Long Jump
6. Marquis Dendy, USA, 26-3.75
Men’s 100
7. Hakim San Brown, Japan, 10.08
Women’s Pole Vault
1. Katie Negeotte, USA, 15-11
Men’s 110 Hurdles
1. Grant Holloway, USA, 13.03
Women’s 1500
10. Cory McGee, USA, 4:03.70
Women’s Heptathlon
3. Anna Hall, USA, 6,755
Men’s 400
4. Champion Allison, USA, 44.77
Men’s 200
1. Noah Lyles, USA, 19.31 American Record 4. Joseph Fahnbulleh, Liberia, 19.84
Men’s 4×100 Relay
2. USA (Christian Coleman, Noah Lyles, Elijah Hall, Marvin Bracy), 37.55
Men’s Triple Jump
11. Will Claye, USA, 54-3.25
Men’s 4×400 Relay
1. USA (Elija Godwin, Michael Norman, Bryce Deadmon, Champion Allison), 2:58.17
Women’s 4×400 Relay
1. USA (Talitha Diggs, Abby Steiner, Britton Wilson, Sydney McLaughlin), 3:17.79