Alabama’s Quanesha Burks is Tokyo Bound
Alabama alumna Quanesha Burks ('17) has qualified for her first Olympic games and will be heading to Tokyo after finishing in the top three for long jump at the US Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon this weekend.
As a professional, the Ozark, Alabama native is a two-time gold medalist from her performances at the 2015 NACAC Championships and the 2016 NACAC Under-23 Championship.
After graduating from Hartselle High School in 2013, Burks wrote her name throughout Alabama's Track and Field record books and became a two-time long jump National Champion in 2015 (outdoor) and 2016 (indoor). Burks is a six-time First-Team All-American and managed to win an individual SEC championship for long jump on four separate occasions.
She still holds three school records for outdoor long jump (6.93m), indoor long jump (6.80m), and as a teammate in the 4x100-meter relay (42.56 seconds - Burks, Gause, Darius, Roberson).
Burks is the eighth University of Alabama athlete to compete for Team USA at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the 14th representative to make an Olympic team for their respective country from the Capstone.
Other alumni representing the United States include Daniel Haugh, Track and Field - Men's Hammer Throw; Haylie McCleney, Softball; Shelby McEwen, Track and Field - High Jump; David Robertson, Baseball; Sarah Robles, Women's Weightlifting; Justin Thomas, Men's Golf; and Rhyan White, Women's Swimming - 100m, 200m Backstroke.
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