Chelsea Hammond (born August 2, 1983 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
) is a
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
n long jumper, who competed at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. She nearly missed out of the podium in the
women's long jump, when Nigeria's
Blessing Okagbare
Blessing Oghnewresem Okagbare-Otegheri (born 9 October 1988) is a former Nigerian track and field athlete who specialized in Long jump and sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championships medalist in the long jump, and a world medalist in th ...
obtained her best possible mark of 6.91 metres at her third attempt, to claim the bronze medal. In 2017, the second-place finisher, Tatyana Lebedeva had a positive test for turinabol and was disqualified from her silver medal. The medals were redistributed and Blessing Okagbare was advanced to silver, and Chelsea Hammond was advanced to bronze.
Personal life
Born and raised in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
by Jamaican parents, Hammond is a graduate of
Elmont Memorial High School Elmont may refer to:
Places
In the United States
*Elmont, Missouri
*Elmont, New York
**Elmont station, a Long Island Rail Road station in Elmont, New York
*Elmont, Virginia
Fictional people
*Elmont (Doonesbury), a character in the Doonesbury comic ...
, where she became a state champion in the long jump. In 2004, she attended on a track scholarship, and eventually received a bachelor of arts degree major in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
at the
University of South Carolina in
Columbia. Hammond was also a full-fledged varsity track and field athlete of the South Carolina Gamecocks, and had been actively participating for the long jump, high jump, and heptathlon in NCAA and SEC Championships. She was also a four-time All-American champion, and achieved two titles each for both indoor and outdoor collegiate meets.
Athletic career
Following her graduation from the University, Hammond turned professional, and focused on her long jump career. She started training with numerous sporting personalities, including Olympic gold medalist
Dwight Phillips
Dwight Phillips (born October 1, 1977) is an American former athlete and a four-time world champion in the long jump. He was the 2004 Olympic champion in the event. His personal best of 8.74 meters, set in 2009, makes him the joint fifth b ...
, and Tom Tellez, who served as her personal coach. She also received her first sponsorship with Puma, and eventually competed at the Supreme Ventures National Senior and Junior Championships in
Kingston.
Hammond set a personal best in the long jump of 6.58 metres for her first few attempts, until she dominated the event from the start to post a successful wind-aided distance of 6.87 metres, which was slightly farther from her record. At the Jamaican Olympic Trials, Hammond claimed the national title, with an astonishing performance of 6.61 metres, which had guaranteed her qualifying place at the Olympics.
Hammond competed in the
women's long jump at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. She performed the best jump of 6.60 metres in her first attempt, despite having received two fouls throughout the entire qualifying round. Although she did not reach the mandatory target of 6.75 metres, Hammond progressed to the final round based on her performance, placing twelfth out of forty-two athletes in the event. Hammond, however, was eventually upgraded to the eleventh position, when Ukraine's
Lyudmila Blonska
Lyudmyla Leonidivna Blonska, née Shevchuk ( uk, Людмила Леонідівна Блонська (Шевчук)), sometimes known as Lyudmila Blonskaya, (born November 9, 1977) is a Ukrainian former heptathlete, pentathlete, and long jumper. ...
was disqualified in the competition after being tested positive for a banned substance. Because of a major circumstance, she was consequently joined with Nigeria's
Blessing Okagbare
Blessing Oghnewresem Okagbare-Otegheri (born 9 October 1988) is a former Nigerian track and field athlete who specialized in Long jump and sprints. She is an Olympic and World Championships medalist in the long jump, and a world medalist in th ...
, who finished behind her in the overall rankings by just a single meter difference. Two days later, Hammond challenged eleven other athletes, including Brazil's
Maurren Maggi
Maurren Higa Maggi (born June 25, 1976, in São Carlos) is a former Brazilian track and field athlete and Olympic gold medallist. She is the South American record holder in the 100 metres hurdles and long jump, with 12.71 seconds and 7.26 metre ...
and Russia's
Tatyana Lebedeva
Tatyana Romanovna Lebedeva (russian: Татьяна Романовна Лебедева, born 21 July 1976) is a Russian track and field athlete who competes in both the long jump and triple jump events. She is one of the most successful athle ...
, in the final round of the competition. She jumped on her first attempt, with a personal best of 6.71 metres, until Okagbare extended her mark by twelve metres (6.91 metres) to capture the bronze medal. Hammond missed out of the podium, placing fourth overall in the event.
Hammond also trained to compete for the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, but missed out of the national trials by a career-ending stress fracture of her spine.
[ She currently lives in ]Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, although she spends time with her family in Elmont, New York
Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, Chelsea
1983 births
Living people
American people of Jamaican descent
Jamaican female middle-distance runners
Olympic athletes of Jamaica
Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Track and field athletes from New York City
People from Elmont, New York
South Carolina Gamecocks women's track and field athletes
Olympic bronze medalists for Jamaica