Profiles
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Olympic athlete Vashti Cunningham tests photography skills at Super Bowl, enjoys ‘the speed of it'
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Former Gorman high jumper adds another US title to collection
Vashti Cunningham
World Champion High Jumper
8x USATF Indoor Champion (High Jump)
6x USATF Outdoor Champion (High Jump)
2016 World Indoor Champion (High Jump)
2019 IAAF World Championships (Bronze Medal)
USA Olympian (2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo)
2023 Rankings: USA Rank # 1
Vashti Cunningham is considered one of the USA’s top track & field stars, specializing in the high jump competition. Cunningham took home her eight consecutive USATF women's high jump Indoor Championship clearing 6-3.5 (1.92m) on February 16, 2024 surpassing the high jump record established from 1963-69 by Eleanor Montgomery, and the 14th national championship overall in her career. Vashti has been the #1 ranked US women’s high jumper for since 2017.
Coached by her father, former NFL quarterback great Randall Cunningham, she burst onto the international track & field scene in 2015 with a win at the Pan American Junior Championships, clearing 1.96 meters. In 2016, she won the World Championship and the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Her career best high jump of 2.02 meters was set in 2021Chula Vista Field Festival.
At the age of 18, Cunningham made her Olympic debut in 2016 in Rio becoming the youngest US track & field athlete to make the team since 1980. Later that year, she turned professional and accepted an offer from Nike. During the Tokyo Olympic games in 2020, she placed sixth in the world.
The 6’1” Cunningham balances her athletic career with passions in fashion, design, photography and modeling. She serves as a brand ambassador for Nike, Red Bull, Discovery+, Whistle Sports, Ipsy, Topps and Sport Kings.
Cunningham is also featured in the Discovery+ six-part docuseries: Legacy: In The Shadow of Greatness, from 11-time Emmy Award-Winning filmmaker Jonathan Hock.
The Las Vegas resident has said her older brother Randall Cunningham Jr., also a star high jumper, has served as an inspiration.
Olympic Experience
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Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 13th(High Jump 1.88 m)
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2016 US Olympic Trials, 2nd (High Jump 1.97 m; American junior record)
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2016, Became the youngest U.S. track and field athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games since 1980