Wimbley Wins Gold at IAAF World Championships
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami star Shakima Wimbley added “world champion” to her long list of accolades, helping the United States win a gold medal at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.
Wimbley teamed with Quanera Hayes, Allyson Felix and Phyllis Francis to win the women’s 4x400m final in a world-leading time of 3:19.02. Hayes opened the relay with a 50.60 lap before passing the baton to Felix, who ran the fastest leg at 48.6 seconds. Wimbley, who ran the third leg of the relay in 49.5 seconds, passed the baton to Francis who closed out the United States’ win by 5.98 seconds – the largest marking of victory in IAAF World Championships history. The time was also the fastest time by the U.S. since the 2012 Olympics in London and the 10th-fastest all-time by a U.S. 4x400m team.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native turned heads during the preliminaries, running the third leg for the United States in 49.2 seconds – the fastest preliminary leg by any athlete competing in the women’s 4x400m. Wimbley wowed spectators at London Stadium as she exploded on the track and passed the baton to Natasha Hastings with a four-second lead on the competition. The United States posted a then-world-leading time of 3:21.66, thanks in large part to Wimbley’s outstanding running that earned her one of the four spots on the relay team that ran in the final on Sunday.
While Wimbley was the brightest star of the 2017 IAAF World Championships, three other Hurricanes also competed in London from Aug. 3-13.
Murielle Ahoure finished fourth in the women’s 100m final, running a time of 10.98 seconds that missed the medal stand by two-hundredths of a second. A native of the Ivory Coast, Ahoure’s path to the final began with a second-place finish in Heat 1 of the preliminaries with a time of 11.04 seconds. Ahoure, who was the 2009 NCAA indoor champion in the 200m, finished second in Heat 3 of the semifinals to eventual world champion Tori Bowie with a time of 10.99 seconds.
Alysha Newman finished seventh in the women’s pole vault, clearing 4.65 meters. A native of Canada, Newman earned a spot in the finals after clearing 4.55 meters during the qualification round.
Aiyanna Stiverne joined Newman on Team Canada, running both the women’s 400m and in the women’s 4x400m relay. Stiverne posted a time of 52.55 seconds in the preliminary heats of the 400 meters and helped Canada finish with a time of 3:28.47 in the women’s 4x400m qualification round.
For all the latest information on the Miami Hurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @MiamiHurricanes, or “Like Us” on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @CanesTrack on Twitter for specific news on UM track and field and cross country. The program is also on Instagram.
