Kalen Walker
American sprinter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalen Walker (born 13 October 2001) is an American sprinter. He broke the 10-second barrier with a wind-legal personal best time of 9.94 seconds in 2025, whilst competing for the University of Iowa.[2]
Early life
From the southeast of Iowa,[3] Walker attended Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont High School, although his final season at high school was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic.[4] He attended Indian Hills Community College for a year, before attending the University of Iowa in 2021. He was a multi-sport athlete whilst at high school, and won state honours in American football and basketball, as well as athletics.[5][6]
Career
Competing for the University of Iowa, Walker was the runner-up in the 60 meters at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston, Massachusetts.[7] In June 2024, he reached the semi-finals of the 100 metres at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.[8] In the October of that year he was timed at 4.15 seconds for the 40-yard-dash.[9][7]
In May 2025, he won the Big Ten Conference 100 metres title in a time of 10.17 seconds.[10] Later that month he qualified for the NCAA Championships and broke the 10-second barrier with a wind-legal personal best of 9.94 seconds for the 100 metres at the West regional qualifiers (+1.1 m/s) in College Station, Texas.[11][12] He concluded his collegiate career with the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he was a semi-finalist in the 100 metres, and ended as a three-time All-American, two-time Big Ten champion and Iowa school record holder in the 60 metres, 100 metres, and in the 4x100 metres relay.[4]