Jennifer Innis (sometimes spelled Inniss; born 21 November 1959) is a Guyanese and American former
sprinter and
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...
er. Innis represented Guyana at the
1979 Pan American Games
The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...
. She competed in the
women's 100 metres and
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...
at the
1980 Summer Olympics.
Innis was a finalist in the
1983 World Championships long jump, finishing eleventh. For thirty years, she held the Guyanese women's national record for 100 meters at 11.26 seconds until it was surpassed by
Brenessa Thompson in 2017 with a time of 11.14 seconds.
She was the model for the female bronze statue outside the
Los Angeles Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a me ...
created by sculptor
Robert Graham for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
Innis competed in the
long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...
at the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...
.
Innis then represented the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
at the
1987 Pan American Games, winning a silver medal in the long jump. At the
1987 World Championships long jump, she finished seventh. At the
1989 World Indoor Championships, she placed eighth.
At the
1990 Goodwill Games
The 1990 Goodwill Games was the second edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held between July 20 and August 5, 1990. Following an inaugural edition in Moscow, the second games took place in Seattle, Unite ...
in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, her final international event, she placed fifth in the long jump.
References
External links
*
1984 Olympics statues
{{DEFAULTSORT:Innis, Jennifer
1959 births
Living people
Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Guyanese female sprinters
Guyanese female long jumpers
American female long jumpers
Olympic athletes of Guyana
World Athletics Championships athletes for Guyana
Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games
Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games
Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
Guyanese emigrants to the United States
California State University, Los Angeles alumni
Afro-Guyanese people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games
Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games
21st-century American women