NORMAL, Ill.— Illinois State track and field alum Aisha Praught finished in first place at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association National Senior Championships in the women's 1500-meter run with a clocked time of 4:15.92. She will be representing Jamaica in her first appearance at the IAAF World Championships at Beijing in August.
Praught discovered her Jamaican heritage, after reconnecting with her birth-father in the summer of 2013. After learning more about her heritage, she made the decision to honor her Jamaican roots at the World Championships.
She is affiliated with Nike and the Oregon Track Club (OTC) Elite in Eugene, Oregon. Her personal-best in the 1500-meter is a clocked time of 4:05.52 and she is ranked No. 33 in the world. In the steeplechase, Praught is ranked No. 32 with a personal-best time of 9:34.69.
Other former Redbirds competing professionally include:
Tim Glover – Javelin – Unattached – Tim Glover's bio
- Finished fourth place at the USATF National Championships with a mark of 75.50m (247-08)
- Personal-best performance mark of 84.09m (275-10) at Knoxville Sea Ray Relays
- Ranked 16th in the world according to the International Association of Athletics Federations
Britany Smith – Shot Put – Nike – Brittany Smith's bio
- Finished fifth place at the USATF National Championships with a mark of 18.63m (61-01.50)
- Personal-best performance mark of 18.96m (62-02) at the Chula Vista OTC-CV Elite
- Ranked fourth in the world according to the International Association of Athletics Federations
Leigh Petranoff – Javelin – Nike – Leigh Petranoff bio
- Finished 11th place at the USATF National Championships with a mark of 52.58m (172-06)
- Personal-best performance mark of 58.37m (191-06) at the Tucson Elite Classic
- Ranked 66th in the world according to the International Association of Athletics Federations
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