4. KENDRA HARRISON
Not many athletes can make the swift transition from missing a spot on the Olympic team, to setting a World Record (WR) two weeks later, but that was exactly what Harrison did in July 2016. The 24-year old experienced both sides of the divide and surely came out a better person.
Having dominated the sprint hurdles for most of 2016 in her very first season as a professional athlete, Harrison will be hoping to continue her impressive run this year. Finishing a shocking 6th at the Rio Olympics Trials held in Oregon put paid to Harrison’s dream of competing at the Games in Brazil.
However, she will be faced with no such dilemma ahead of the 2017 World Championships in London as her winning the Diamond Race already qualifies her for the biggest Athletics fiesta in 2017. And so the hurdler will focus on improving her World Championships performance, after failing to make the final of the event at Beijing 2015.
And so it goes without saying that Harrison will set her sights on winning her first individual title on the global stage. Asides her desire to strike GOLD come August, it is almost certain that the American will also aim to lower her WR of 12.20s set at the London Diamond League (DL) where she smashed Yordanka Donkova’s 28-year old former mark of 12.21s.
And what better motivation does the former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion need for breaking the WR than running on the same track where she set the mark – the Olympic Stadium, which will serve as venue for the World Championships? That will be something truly special!
