Whitney wins second USATF Athlete of Week after World Juniors performance

Whitney wins second USATF Athlete of Week after World Juniors performance


7/30/2014

INDIANAPOLIS -- Kaylin Whitney has won USATF’s Athlete of the Week for the second time this month after her outstanding performance for Team USA at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, July 22-27.

Whitney (Clermont, Florida) won two gold medals and a bronze on the first major international competition held on U.S. soil since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The 16 year-old ran a wind-aided 22.82 in the women’s 200 meters to win the title and was the anchor of the eighth-fastest 4x100m relay team in world junior history (43.46). She took home the bronze in the 100m with a time of 11.45.

“At the beginning of the season, my goal was to maybe make the team or maybe make the alternate on the relay to get the good experience,” she said. “Coming home with three medals with my first time on this stage is crazy.”

Whitney also won USATF’s Athlete of the Week after her performance at the Junior Outdoor Championships. She set a national high school record and ran the fifth fastest American Junior time in history with an 11.10 in the 100m final, claiming gold. She also set a world youth best in winning the 200m with a 22.49.

Other notable athletes from this week included:

Sean Lee (Rancho Santa Margarita, California) jumped into the record books again at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships. In the 13-14 boys high jump, the six-time Junior Olympic gold medalist and record holder from USA High Jump Club broke the Junior Olympics meet record of 1.94m/6-4.25 with his 1.95m/6-4.75 leap, which also tied the National record.
Dylan Carter (Maryville, Tennessee) won two gold medals in Humble, Texas, throwing 44.46m/145-10 in the 11-12 boys discus, breaking the Junior Olympic meet record of 40.81m/133-10. In the shot put, he threw 16.42m/53-10.5 to break the National and Junior Olympics meet record of 16.36m/53-8.25.
Kendall Baisden (Austin, Texas) had an impressive showing at the IAAF World Juniors, winning two gold medals. She anchored the women’s 4x400m title relay team as they ran 3:30.42. She also claimed the top spot in the 400m with a 51.85.
Jayla Cigar-Dingle (Inglewood, California) broke the National and Junior Olympic meet record in the eight and under girls 400m with a 1:07.91 in the semi-finals before running a 1:07.92 in the finals to take home the gold. She also ran for Los Angeles Jet in the 4x100m, running the third leg and winning gold with a 1:01.26; and as the second leg on the 4x400m relay that won the gold with a 4:49.48.

Now in its 13th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2014 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 22, Galen Rupp; January 29, Galen Rupp; February 5, Alexa Efraimson; February 12, Mike Rutt; Feb. 19, Bernard Lagat; Feb. 26,Sharon Day-Monroe; March 3, David Torrence; March 13, Francena McCorory; March 19, Irene Obera; March 26, Duane Solomon; April 2, Maria Michta; April 7, Noah Lyles; April 14, Kendell Williams; April 21, Meb Keflezighi; April 28, Kristi Castlin; May 7, Maria Michta; May 14, Erik Kynard; May 21, Emma Coburn; May 28, Brenda Martinez; June 2, Galen Rupp; June 9, Tori Bowie; June 16, Trayvon Bromell; June 23, Charles Austin; June 30, Devon Allen, July 7, Kaylin Whitney; July 14, Emma Coburn; July 21, Florence Meiler; July 28, Kaylin Whitney.

About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.

Tyler Stevenson
Communications Intern
Tyler.Stevenson@usatf.org