Chaunte Howard (J.W. North High School, Riverside)

CHAUNTE HOWARD
Event: High Jump
Height: 5-9
Weight: 131
PR: 2.01m/6-07 (2006)
Born: January 12, 1984 in Templeton, Calif.
Current Residence: Decatur, Ga.
High School: J.W. North (Riverside, Calif.) HS '02
College: Georgia Tech '06
Coach: Nat Page
Agent: Sharon Richards
Club: Nike

Career Highlights: 2008 Olympic Trials champion; 2006 USA Outdoor champion; 2006 USA Indoor champion; 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist; Runner-up at 2005 USA Outdoors; Runner-up at 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials; 2004 Olympian; 2005 NCAA Indoor Champion; 2004 NCAA Indoor & Outdoor champion; 2004 ACC Indoor & Outdoor champion; 2003 Pan Am Junior bronze medalist

The #1 ranked American in 2005 and 2006, Howard in 2008 returned to competition after becoming a mother in 2007. At the 2008 Olympic Trials, she cleared all but her opening height of 1.84m/6-0.5 on first attempts, ultimately winning her second U.S. title with a height of 1.97m/6-5.5 to make her second Olympic Team…Her performance at the 2006 AT&T USA Outdoor Championships proved she is consistently among the world's best. The 22-year-old set a meet record, personal best and 2006 U.S. leader with her winning clearance of 2.01m/6 feet, 7 inches…Howard enjoyed a strong 2005 season that included runner-up finishes at the World, USA and NCAA Outdoor Championships. Howard became the first American woman to win a world outdoor championships high jump medal since National Track & Field Hall of Famer Louise Ritter won bronze at the inaugural World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki in 1983 with her silver medal at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships and a clearance of 2.00m/6-6.75… In clearing the bar at 1.95 meters/6-4.75 on her second attempt at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials she became the first Georgia Tech women’s track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympics with her runner-up finish in the high jump…the 2004 season began with a school record at the indoor ACC meet, claiming her third straight high jump crown at 1.90m/6-2.75…the Riverside, Calif., native then set a new mark at the NCAA Indoor Championships, clearing the bar at 1.92m/6-3.50 and claiming her first national championship…at the outdoor ACC meet, Howard once again set a new Tech and ACC meet record with a clearance of 1.95m/6-4.75…the sophomore track standout then became the first back-to-back national champion in Tech history with a first-place finish in the high jump at the outdoor NCAA Championships…prior to the U.S. Olympic Trials, the top U.S. women’s high jumpers gathered for a pre-trials meet in Provo, Utah, hosted by BYU on June 26. Howard proved she belonged with America’s elite, winning the event with a lifetime-best mark of 1.98m/6-6…that mark tied for the best in the United States for the ‘04 outdoor season. Howard first thought of becoming an Olympian at age four and believed her best opportunity for that dream to become a reality was attending Georgia Tech and working under jumps coach Nat Page. “I felt like that if I came to Tech and worked with coach Page, I could reach my potential,” said Howard. “He has trained some of the best in the business and has made this childhood dream become a reality.” A seven-time prep national champion at J.W. North High School, Howard was the Indoor and outdoor national champion in the high jump in 2001 and ’02…named one of 33 Nike Athletes of the Year for high school track and field…2001 and ’02 indoor and outdoor All-American in the high jump…2001 California state champion in the high jump…claimed All-America honors in the triple jump and 4x200 relay in 2002 and 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relay in 2001...married triple jumper Mario Lowe on August 21, 2005...daughter, Jasmine, was born on July 30, 2007...graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in economics and finance.


2008: 6th at Olympic Games (1.99m/6-6.25)...Olympic Trials champion (1.97m/6-05.5)…5th at Bislett Games Oslo (1.94m/6-4.25)…7th at DKB-ISTAF Berlin (1.93m/6-4)…1st at adidas Track Classic (1.98m/6-6)…1st at Disney (1.95m/6-4.75)…ranked #6 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 1.99m/6-6.25.
2007: did not compete (maternity)
2006: USA Outdoor champion (2.01m/ 6-07)…USA Indoor champion (1.95m/6-4.75)…1st at Boston Indoor Games (1.95m/6-4.75)…1st at Millrose Games (1.93m/6-4)…2nd at Nike Prefontaine Classic (1.96m/6-0.500)…5th at Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint-Denis (1.94m/6-4.25)…4th at Golden Gala (1.94m/6-4.25)…1st at Athletissima (1.99m/6-6.25)…ranked #6 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN…best of 2.01m/6-07.
2005: Runner-up at USA Outdoor Championships (J1.90m/6-02.75)...World Outdoor Championships runner-up (2.00m/6-6.75)...NCAA Indoor Champion (1.92/6-3.5)...1st at Liege (2.00m/6-6.75PR)...1st at Heusden (2.00m/6-6.75)...1st at Azusa (1.97m/6-5.5)...ACC Champion (1.95m/6-4.75)...1st at Atlanta (1.95m/6-4.75)...2nd at Walnut (1.93m/6-4)...4th at Monaco (1.93m/6-4)...4th at World Athletics Final (1.93m/6-4)...ranked #2 in the world (#1 U.S.) by T&FN...best of 2.00m/6-6.75.
2004: Runner-up at U.S. Olympic Trials (1.95m/6-4.75)...13th in qualifying round at Olympic Games (1.85m/6-0.75)...NCAA Outdoor champion (1.93m/6-4)...NCAA Indoor champion (1.92m/6-3.50i)...ACC Indoor champion (1.90m/6-2.75)...ACC Outdoor champion (1.95m/6-4.75)...2nd in Munich (1.93m/6-4)...1st at Penn Relays (1.91m/6-3.25)...1st at Provo, Utah (1.98m/6-6PR)...ranked #3 in the U.S. by T&FN...best of 1.98/6-6.
2003: 4th at USA Outdoors (1.89m/6-2.25)...tied for second at NCAA Outdoors (1.86m/6-01.25)...1st at ACC Outdoors...best of 1.89m/6-2.25.
2002: 1st at National Scholastics (1.87m/6-1.50)...4th at USA Juniors (1.76m/5-09.25)...best of 1.87m/6-1.50.
2001: 1st at National Scholastics (1.84m/6-0.50)...best of 1.84m/6-0.50.

06/09/08
Courtesy USATF