Vashti Cunningham

6 ft 7+1⁄2 in) (Chula Vista 2021)
High jump indoor: 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) (Fayetteville 2021)

Vashti Cunningham (born January 18, 1998) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She is the daughter of retired National Football League (NFL) quarterback Randall Cunningham, niece of retired NFL fullback Sam Cunningham, and the younger sister of Randall Cunningham II. Her mother is Felicity de Jager Cunningham, a former ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem.^[3] Vashti, like her brother two years ahead of her in school, jumped for Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada until March 2016 when she signed with Nike. She announced at that time she intended to continue her education at a university while competing as a professional athlete.^[4]

Jumping career

On April 18, 2015, at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, Cunningham jumped 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄4 in),^[5] to set the new national high school record. At age 17, that was also equal to the No. 4 world Youth mark (under 19 years old).^[6] At that date it was the No. 3 mark in the world in 2015.^[7] She was named USATF Athlete of the Week for that performance.^[8] On June 27, 2015, she won the U.S. Junior National Championship.^[9] A month later at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, she improved again, jumping 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in). That mark equaled the World Youth Best.

On March 12, 2016, Vashti jumped 1.99 m (6 ft 6+1⁄4 in) while winning the 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Portland, Oregon.^[10] The mark established a new World Junior Record. At the time, just one week before the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, which were held in the same facility in the Portland convention center, Cunningham's jump was the No. 1 jump in the world in 2016.^[11] Eight days later, she won the World Indoor Championship.

In March 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) to win at 2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. On April 15, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄4 in) to win in Torrance, California at Mt. SAC Relays, two weeks later she jumped 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) to win at Penn Relays. Cunningham jumped 1.95 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) to place 3rd behind World Champion Mariya Lasitskene on May 27 in Eugene at IAAF Diamond League 2017 Prefontaine Classic. On June 23, Cunningham jumped 1.99 m (6 ft 6+1⁄4 in) to win in 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Sacramento State University. On July 9, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) to place 2nd at London Müller Anniversary Games. On July 21, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) to place 3rd at IAAF Diamond League 2017 Herculis in Fontvieille, Monaco. On August 12, 2017, Cunningham jumped 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in) to place 10th at World Championships.

On February 18, 2018, Cunningham jumped 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) to win third consecutive high jump indoor title and 4th US senior title at 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On March 1, Cunningham jumped 1.93 m (6 ft 3+3⁄4 in) to place second behind World Champion Mariya Lasitskene in high jump at 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

On July 7, 2023, Vashti Cunningham claimed her 13th U.S. high jump title with a victory at the U.S. outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing the  United States
2015	2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships	Edmonton, Alberta	1st	high jump	1.96 m[a]
2016	2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships	Portland, Oregon	1st	high jump	1.96 m
	2016 Summer Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	13th	high jump	1.88 m
2017	2017 World Championships in Athletics	London, United Kingdom	10th	high jump	1.92 m
2018	2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	2nd	high jump	1.93 m
2019	2019 World Championships in Athletics	Doha, Qatar	3rd	High jump	2.00 m
2021	2020 Summer Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	6th	high jump	1.96 m
2022	2022 World Athletics Championships	Eugene, United States	18th (q)	high jump	1.86 m
	2022 NACAC Championships	Freeport, Bahamas	1st	high jump	1.92 m

^a Pan American junior championships record and world youth record

USA national championships and Olympic trials

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2016	2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Portland, Oregon	1st	high jump	1.99 m
	2016 United States Olympic trials	Eugene, Oregon	2nd	high jump	1.97 m[a]
2017	2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	1st	high jump	1.96 m
	2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Sacramento, California	1st	high jump	1.99 m[b]
2018	2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	1st	high jump	1.97 m
	2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Des Moines, Iowa	1st	high jump	1.95 m
2019	2019 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Staten Island, New York	1st	high jump	1.96 m
	2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Des Moines, Iowa	1st	high jump	1.96 m
2020	2020 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	1st	high jump	1.97 m[12]
2021	2020 United States Olympic trials	Eugene, Oregon	1st	high jump	1.96 m
2022	2022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Spokane, Washington	1st	high jump	1.91 m
	2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Eugene, Oregon	1st	high jump	1.93 m
2023	2023 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	1st	high jump	2.00 m[13]
	2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Eugene, Oregon	1st	high jump	1.91 m

^a American junior record

^b American junior outdoor record

References

External links

• Vashti Cunningham at World Athletics
• Vashti Cunningham at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
• Olympic hopeful high jumper sets sights on Rio from National Public Radio
• USA Indoor Track and Field Championships