Sha'Keela Saunders
American long jumper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sha'Keela Saunders (born December 18, 1993) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the long jump.[1] Saunders finished third at the long jump final at the 2017 IAAF Diamond League and 2018 IAAF Diamond League.[2] She represented her country at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics and won gold at NACAC Championships.
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | December 18, 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Long jump | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Kentucky | ||||||||||||||||||||
Turned pro | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Edrick Floréal | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best | 6.90 m (22 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Professional career
In Fall 2022, coach Sha'Keela Saunders joined Hampton University track and field staff.[3][4]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 21st (q) | Long jump | 6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) |
| 2018 | NACAC Championships | Toronto, Canada | 1st | Long jump | 6.60 m (21 ft 8 in) |
| 2019 | World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 9th | Long jump | 6.54 m (21 ft 5 in) |
National championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 6th | Long jump | 6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| 2022 | 2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Spokane, Washington | 3rd | Long jump | 6.48 m (21 ft 3 in) |
| 2021 | United States Olympic trials | Eugene, Oregon | 6th | Long jump | 6.71 m (22 ft 0 in) |
| 2019 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 3rd | Long jump | 6.78 m (22 ft 3 in)[6] |
| 2018 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 1st | Long jump | 6.54 m (21 ft 5 in)[7] |
| 2017 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Sacramento, California | 3rd | Long jump | 6.92 m (22 ft 8 in)[8] |
| 2016 | USA Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 4th | Long jump | 6.89 m (22 ft 7 in)[9] |
| 2015 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 5th | Long jump | 6.75 m (22 ft 2 in)[10] |
| 2014 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Hornet Stadium (Sacramento) | 7th | Long jump | 6.42 m (21 ft 1 in)[11] |
University of Kentucky
Sha'Keela Saunders is a 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor track and field Long jump champion. Sha'Keela Saunders earned 13-time NCAA Division I All-America honors. Sha'Keela Saunders first broke the University of Kentucky Wildcats school record in the long jump for the first time 6.53 m (21 ft 5 in) en route to a first-place finish at the 2015 University of Kentucky Rod McCravy Memorial Track & Field Meet at Southeastern Conference for Women's Indoor Track and Field.[12] Sha'Keela Saunders set the University of Kentucky Wildcats school record in the Long jump in 6.90 m (22 ft 8 in) in 2017 - a performance thank ranked / placed her in third on the all-time collegiate indoor list.[13][14]
Sha'Keela Saunders improved on the University of Kentucky Wildcats school record in the Triple jump 13.32 m (43 ft 8 in) but in the same meet (2017 SEC Outdoor Championship on ESPNU) her teammate Marie Josée Ebwea Bile improved on that record 13.39 m (43 ft 11 in).[15] Saunders was named to the Bowerman Award watch list in 2017.[16][17]
| Year | Conference indoor | NCAA indoor | Conference Outdoor | NCAA Outdoor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Long Jump 6.81 m (22 ft 4 in) 1st Triple Jump 13.32 m (43 ft 8 in) 7th 4x400 meters 3:36.25 5th | Long Jump 6.90 m (22 ft 8 in) 1st 12.80 m (42 ft 0 in) 13th | Long Jump 6.75 m (22 ft 2 in) 2nd Triple Jump 12.15 m (39 ft 10 in) 13th 4x400 meters 3:35.56 6th | Long Jump 6.48 m (21 ft 3 in) 5th 4x400 meters 3:40.20 21st |
| 2016 | Long Jump 6.59 m (21 ft 7 in) 3rd Triple Jump 12.56 m (41 ft 2 in) 10th | Long Jump 6.56 m (21 ft 6 in) 2nd Triple Jump 13.01 m (42 ft 8 in) 8th | Long Jump 6.61 m (21 ft 8 in) 2nd Triple Jump 13.19 m (43 ft 3 in) 5th | Triple Jump 13.21 m (43 ft 4 in) 9th |
| 2015 | Long Jump 6.55 m (21 ft 6 in) 1st Triple Jump 13.08 m (42 ft 11 in) 4th | Long Jump 6.53 m (21 ft 5 in) 2nd 13.08 m (42 ft 11 in) 6th | Long Jump 6.52 m (21 ft 5 in) 5th Triple Jump 12.48 m (40 ft 11 in) 10th | Long Jump 6.75 m (22 ft 2 in) 3rd |
| 2014 | Long Jump 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) 4th 200 meters 24.22 24th | 4x400 meters 3:37.69 12th | 4x400 meters 3:34.93 4th Long Jump 5.96 m (19 ft 7 in) 10th Triple Jump 12.68 m (41 ft 7 in) 9th | Long Jump 6.43 m (21 ft 1 in) 2nd 4x400 meters 3:39.09 22nd 4x100 meters 45.05 18th |
