American high jumper Vashti Cunningham trains in Chula Vista, California, USA on 3 April, 2021.
American high jumper Vashti Cunningham poses for a portrait in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on 3 May, 2021.

Vashti
Cunningham

United States

United States

·

Athletics

One of the world's best high jumpers, the USA’s Vashti Cunningham has cleared the 2m mark and now has her sights set on breaking the long-held world record!

Date of birth

18 January 1998

Place of birth

Las Vegas, NV

Age

27

Nationality

United States

United States

Career start

2016

Disciplines

High Jump

High jumper Vashti Cunningham is ready to raise the bar and has her sights set on the women's world record, 2.09m, which has stood since Bulgarian jumper Stefka Kostadinova's triumph way back in 1987.

Coached by her father, former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, Vashti burst onto the international track and field scene in 2015 with a win at the Pan American Junior Championships, clearing 1.96m. In 2016 she won the World Indoor Championships with a clearance of 1.96m and the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships at 1.99m (the current American Junior record), before finishing 13th in Rio – where she was the youngest US track and field athlete to make the team since 1980 – at the age of 18.