Jump to content

Ashley Spencer (athlete)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ashley Spencer
Personal information
Born (1993-06-08) June 8, 1993 (age 31)
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight128 lb (58 kg)
Sport
Country United States
SportTrack and field
Event400m hurdles
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m hurdles
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Moscow 4×400 m relay
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Portland 4×400 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2016 Portland 400 m
World Relay Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Nassau 4×400 m relay
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2012 Barcelona 400 m
Gold medal – first place 2012 Barcelona 4×400 m relay

Ashley Spencer (born June 8, 1993) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles. In the 400m hurdles, she is the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist. In the 400m, she is the 2012 World Junior Champion and the 2016 World Indoor silver medalist. She is coached by 1996 Olympic bronze medalist Tonya Buford-Bailey.

Early life

[edit]

Born June 8, 1993, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Spencer attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where she ran for the Illinois Fighting Illini and won 2 NCAA titles. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she ran for the Texas Longhorns. Her uncle is Steve Smith, the 1995 Pan American Games silver medalist in the high jump.

International career

[edit]

At the 2012 World Junior Championships Spencer won gold medals in both the 400 meters and the 4x400 meter relay.[1]

At the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Spencer finished third in the 400m.[2][3] This finish assured her selection for the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.[4] At the World Championships she ran 51.48 in the 400m heats to qualify for the semifinals, where she was eliminated running 51.80. She went on to win a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay, along with Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings and Francena McCorory.

Spencer won a silver medal in the 400m in 51.77 and a gold medal in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon. Later that year at the United States Olympic Trials, she finished second behind Dalilah Muhammad in the 400m hurdles in a personal best of 54.02, to earn selection for the Rio Olympics. She also finished seventh in the 400m final at the trials in 51.09. At the Rio Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the 400m hurdles in a personal best time of 53.72 seconds.

In June 2017, Spencer moved into the world all-time top 25 when she improved her 400m hurdles best to 53.11 seconds, finishing fourth at the U.S. Championships, in a race won by Dalilah Muhammad in 52.64.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hersh, Philip (July 15, 2012). "Another track gold for Illini's spencer". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "Thursday Track - June 20 Results". USA Track & Field. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "2013 USA Track & Field Championships Results". Retrieved March 6, 2024 – via flipsnack.com.
  4. ^ "Team USA Named for World Championships in Moscow". USA Track & Field. July 29, 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ashley_Spencer_(athlete)&oldid=1247912191"