Vashti Cunningham (born January 18, 1998) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She is the daughter of retired National Football League (NFL) quarterback Randall Cunningham, niece of retired NFL fullback Sam Cunningham, and the younger sister of Randall Cunningham II. Her mother is Felicity de Jager Cunningham, a former ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Vashti, like her brother two years ahead of her in school, jumped for Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada until March 2016 when she signed with Nike. She announced at that time she intended to continue her education at a university while competing as a professional athlete.
Jumping career On April 18, 2015, at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, Cunningham jumped , to set the new national high school record. At age 17, that was also equal to the No. 4 world Youth mark (under 19 years old). At that date it was the No. 3 mark in the world in 2015. She was named USATF Athlete of the Week for that performance. On June 27, 2015, she won the U.S. Junior National Championship. A month later at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, she improved again, jumping . That mark equaled the World Youth Best.
On March 12, 2016, Vashti jumped while winning the 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Portland, Oregon. The mark established a new World Junior Record. At the time, just one week before the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, which were held in the same facility in the Portland convention center, Cunningham's jump was the No. 1 jump in the world in 2016. Eight days later, she won the World Indoor Championship.
In March 2017, Cunningham jumped to win at 2017 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. On April 15, 2017, Cunningham jumped to win in Torrance, California at Mt. SAC Relays, two weeks later she jumped to win at Penn Relays. Cunningham jumped to place 3rd behind World Champion Mariya Lasitskene on May 27 in Eugene at IAAF Diamond League 2017 Prefontaine Classic. On June 23, Cunningham jumped to win in 2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Sacramento State University. On July 9, 2017, Cunningham jumped to place 2nd at London Müller Anniversary Games. On July 21, 2017, Cunningham jumped to place 3rd at IAAF Diamond League 2017 Herculis in Fontvieille, Monaco. On August 12, 2017, Cunningham jumped to place 10th at World Championships.
On February 18, 2018, Cunningham jumped to win third consecutive high jump indoor title and 4th US senior title at 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. On March 1, Cunningham jumped to place second behind World Champion Mariya Lasitskene in high jump at 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
On July 7, 2023, Vashti Cunningham claimed her 13th U.S. high jump title with a victory at the U.S. outdoor track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Competition record Representing the 2015Pan American Junior ChampionshipsEdmonton, Alberta1st1.96 m2016World Indoor ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon1st1.96 mOlympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil13th1.88 m2017World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom10th1.92 m2018World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom2nd1.93 m2019World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar 3rd2.00 m2021Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan6th 1.96 m2022World ChampionshipsEugene, United States18th (q)1.86 mNACAC ChampionshipsFreeport, Bahamas1st1.92 m2023World ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary11th1.90 m2024World Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom―DNSOlympic GamesParis, France5th1.95 m2025World Indoor ChampionshipsNanjing, China10th1.85 mNACAC ChampionshipsFreeport, Bahamas2nd1.91 mWorld ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan17th (q)1.88 m Pan American junior championships record and world youth record
USA national championships and Olympic trials 20162016 USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon1st1.99 m2016 United States Olympic trialsEugene, Oregon2nd1.97 m20172017 USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1st1.96 m2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsSacramento, California1st1.99 m20182018 USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1st1.97 m2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa1st1.95 m20192019 USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsStaten Island, New York1st1.96 m2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa1st1.96 m20202020 USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1st1.97 mVashti Cunningham Women's High Jump Champion – Toyota USATF Indoor Championships 2020 DyeStat.com20212020 United States Olympic trialsEugene, Oregon1st1.96 m20222022 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Spokane, Washington 1st1.91 m2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon1st1.93 m20232023 USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1st2.00 mVashti Cunningham 1st Place Women's High Jump – USATF Indoor Championships 2023 DyeStat.com2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon1st1.91 m20242024 USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1st1.92 m2024 United States Olympic trialsEugene, Oregon3rd1.91 m2025USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsOcean Breeze Athl. Complex,New York, NY1st1.94 mEugene, Oregon1st1.97 m American junior record American junior outdoor record
References
External links
Vashti Cunningham at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (archived) Olympic hopeful high jumper sets sights on Rio from National Public Radio USA Indoor Track and Field Championships