American long jumper (born 1995)
Quanesha Burks (born March 15, 1995) is an American track and field athlete who mainly competes as a long jumper . She represented her country at the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2017 World Championships in Athletics . She was the gold medalist at the regional 2015 NACAC Championships in Athletics . Collegiately, she competed for Alabama Crimson Tide and was the 2015 NCAA Division I champion in long jump.
Career
Born to Lesha Dobbins in Ozark, Alabama , she attended Hartselle High School and went on to study at University of Alabama . Burks has four younger siblings; two brothers and two sisters. While a high school student, she took up track and performed well, going on to place third in the triple jump at the 2012 USATF Junior Olympics and winning a 100-meter dash /long jump/triple jump triple at the 2013 state championships.[ 1]
College
Burks competed for the Alabama Crimson Tide where she was a multiple-time Southeastern Conference champion and multiple-time NCAA champion, including being Alabama's first women's long jump champion.[ 2] [ 3] [ 4] In college, she also competed in the 100 meter dash and 4x100 relay.[ 5] Her first NCAA long jump title came at the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships . She was runner-up to Jamaica's Chanice Porter at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships and also took second at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships after Sha'Keela Saunders .
Professional
Burks made her international debut at the age of nineteen, competing in the long jump at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics , where she placed fifth.[ 6] A senior gold medal came at the 2015 NACAC Championships in Athletics , where she set the championship record at 6.93 m.[ 7] She managed eighth place in the final at the 2015 Pan American Games , but took a second regional gold at the 2016 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics , breaking the championship record with a jump of 6.74 m.[ 8] After a fourth place finish at the 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships ,[ 9] her global senior debut came at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics , though she did not make it beyond the qualifying round.[ 6]
She was third at the 2018 PSD Bank Meeting on the IAAF World Indoor Tour ,[ 10] [ 11] then finished second to Brittney Reese at the 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships to earn qualification to the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships [ 12] where she finished 4th.
International competitions
Representing the United States
Year
Competition
Venue
Position
Event
Notes
2014
World Junior Championships
Eugene , United States
5th
Long jump
6.04 m
2015
NACAC Championships
San José, Costa Rica
1st
Long jump
6.93 m CR
Pan American Games
Toronto , Canada
8th
Long jump
6.47 m
2016
NACAC Under-23 Championships
San Salvador , El Salvador
1st
Long jump
6.74 m CR
2017
World Championships
London , United Kingdom
14th (q)
Long jump
6.44 m
2018
World Indoor Championships
Birmingham, United Kingdom
4th
Long jump
6.81 m
NACAC Championships
Toronto, Canada
2nd
Long jump
6.59 m
2021
Olympic Games
Tokyo, Japan
13th (q)
Long jump
6.56 m
2022
World Indoor Championships
Belgrade, Serbia
5th
Long jump
6.77 m
World Championships
Eugene, United States
4th
Long jump
6.88 m
NACAC Championships
Freeport, Bahamas
1st
Long jump
6.75 m
2023
World Championships
Budapest, Hungary
16th (q)
Long jump
6.57 m
National titles
NCAA Outdoor Championships
Personal life
Burks grew up in poverty. She worked at McDonald's as a high school student to help pay for her grandmother's car insurance.[ 13]
References
External links
Qualification Men's track and road athletes Men's field athletes Women's track and road athletes Women's field athletes Coaches
1923–1979Amateur Athletic Union 1980–1992The Athletics Congress 1993–presentUSA Track & Field Notes
OT : Since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials in Olympic years, otherwise held as a discrete event.
2020 OT : The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Qualification Male track athletes Male field athletes Female track athletes Female Field Athletes