INDIANAPOLIS -- Breaking a 35-year-old record in the women’s long jump earned Tara Davis (Austin, Texas) the 11th USATF Athlete of the Week award for 2021, her second such honor in three weeks. Davis, a sophomore at the University of Texas, flew down the runway at her home facility during the Texas Relays and leaped 7.14m/23-5.25 to shatter Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s existing collegiate record of 6.99m/22-11.25 that had stood since 1985. In round three, Davis had narrowly missed the record with a 6.97m/22-10.5 effort, and on her next attempt she jumped into the record books with a 1.0 meter per second aiding wind. That record-setting mark moved her to No. 5 on the all-time U.S. performer list. At the NCAA Indoor Championships two weeks ago in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Davis set an indoor collegiate record with a 6.93m/22-9 jump. The 2015 World Youth Championships gold medalist for Team USATF, Davis was also a bronze medalist at the 2018 World U20 Championships. More top performances from the past week:
Terrance Laird of LSU won the Texas Relays men’s 200m in 19.81, making him the third-fastest collegian ever.
Michigan high schooler Hobbs Kessler moved to No. 4 on the all-time prep boys’ 2-mile list with his 8:39.04 at the NSAF Meet of Champions.
Taliyah Brooks won the Texas Relays heptathlon with a PR 6252, the best mark by an American woman this year.
Ronnie Baker sped to a world-leading 9.94 to win the men’s 100m at the Texas Relays.
Gabby Thomas clocked 22.17 to win the women’s 200m at the Texas Relays, the fastest time in the world this year.
Now in its 20th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week. 2021 Winners: January 21, KC Lightfoot; January 28, Ryan Crouser; February 4, Bryce Hoppel; February 11, Athing Mu; February 18, Elle Purrier; February 25, Jaylen Slade; March 4, Grant Holloway; March 11, Emmanuel Bor; March 18, Tara Davis; March 25, Emily Sisson; April 1, Tara Davis. We welcome your nominations! To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to communications@usatf.org. Fans can follow along with #USATF on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.