Kemba Nelson (born 23 February 2000) is a Jamaican sprinter competing for the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conferenc ...

in American collegiate

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. She is the collegiate record holder in the women's

60 metres 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior at ...

with a time of 7.05 seconds, which she set when winning the final at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in March 2021.

Athletics career

Mount Alvernia High and the University of Technology

Nelson first started competing in track and field at

Mount Alvernia High School Mount Alvernia High School is a private all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Newton, Massachusetts. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Background Mount Alvernia High School was established in 1935 as an extension ...

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish Town, and Por ...

, Jamaica—a school not known for its track and field program—coached by Lawrence Mendez her first year and later Andrew Henry. In her last year (2017) she was second in the class 2 (15–16 years) girls'

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

and fourth in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

at the Jamaican high school Boys and Girls Championships.Lawrence, Hubert (22 March 2021)
"Kemba revs up Mount Alvernia track team"
''

The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

''. Retrieved 4 April 2021. Nelson then attended the

University of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

(UTech) in Jamaica from 2018 to 2020, where she was coached by Paul Francis at the MVP Track and Field Club.Reid, Paul (15 October 2020)
"History-Maker Kemba Nelson believes switch from UTech to University of Oregon is the right move"
. ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

''. Retrieved 4 April 2021. In her first year she placed third in the women's 100 metres at the 2018 Jamaican Under-20 Championships and ran on the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships, though the Jamaican team was unable to advance after being disqualified in the semi-finals for stepping out of their lane. In 2019 she qualified to represent Jamaica in the under-20 category for the

CARIFTA Games The CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition founded by the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). The games was first held in 1972 and consists of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles, middle distance track event ...

. She placed third in the women's 100 metres and teamed up with 100 metres champion

Briana Williams Briana Nichole Williams (born March 21, 2002) is an American-born sprinter competing for Jamaica in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She became the youngest athlete to win the women's 100 metres and 200 metres double at the 2018 World Under-20 Ch ...

, Kimone Reid, and

100 metres hurdles The 100 metres hurdles, or 100-meter hurdles, is a track and field event run mainly by women (the male counterpart is the 110 metres hurdles). For the race, ten Hurdling, hurdles of a height of are placed along a straight course of . The first h ...

champion Ackera Nugent in the 4 × 100 metres relay, anchoring the team to gold."New Generation: Meet Kemba Nelson"
. ''

Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) is the national governing body for the sport of athletics (including track and field, long-distance running and racewalking) in Jamaica. The association is based in Kingston. As of December ...

'' (25 March 2021). Retrieved 9 April 2021. At the Jamaican Under-20 Championships she won the women's

and

in personal best times of 11.49 and 23.57 seconds respectively, and then went on to be a 100 metres finalist for Jamaica at both the Pan American Under-20 Championships and the North American, Central American, and Caribbean Under-23 Championships."Campeonato NACAC Sub18 y Sub23 2019 - 05/07/2019 to 07/07/2019"
''

Federation of Mexican Athletics Associations The Federation of Mexican Athletics Associations (FMAA; ''Federación Mexicana de Asociaciones de Atletismo'') is the governing body for the sport of athletics in México. Current president is Antonio Pineda Lozano. History FMAA was founded ...

'' (7 July 2019). p. 7. Retrieved 4 April 2021.

Oregon transfer and 2021 indoor season

Because of the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic, Nelson barely competed and spent most of 2020 addressing injuries instead. She also wanted more competition than she thought the Jamaican intercollegiate scene could provide, so in October 2020 she transferred to the American

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

on an athletic scholarship for the

, coached by Curtis Taylor.Hansen, Chris (13 May 2021)
"Oregon sprinter Kemba Nelson a rising star in the NCAA track scene"
''

The Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene- ...

''. Retrieved 17 May 2021. In her first indoor meet (Razorback Invitational) for the Oregon Ducks on 30 January 2021, she placed second in the 200 metres with a personal best time of 23.53 seconds, and then defeated the 2019 NCAA Division I champion and collegiate leader

Twanisha Terry Twanisha "TeeTee" Terry (born January 24, 1999) is an American sprinter specializing in the 100 meters distance. She earned two major medals as part of U.S. women's 4 × 100 m relays, including gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championshi ...

over

in a time of 7.19 seconds.Reid, Paul (4 February 2021)
"Here I come! Kemba Nelson wins 60m dash at Razorback Invitational"
''

''. Retrieved 10 April 2021. On 13 March at the 2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships she improved in the women's 60 metres semi-finals with a time of 7.13 seconds, though Terry remained the favorite after she too improved her personal best to 7.09 seconds.Reid, Paul (20 March 2021)
"Kemba Nelson savours swift 7.05secs at University of Arkansas"
''

''. Retrieved 9 April 2021. However, Nelson again defeated Terry in the final with a collegiate record of 7.05 seconds, the second fastest time in the world that year.Levy, Leighton (14 March 2021)
"Record-breaking Kemba Nelson storms to her first NCAA Indoor 60m title"
''SportsMax''. Retrieved 4 April 2021. Nelson was surprised by the performance which gave more confidence to herself as well as her high school alma mater, though Mount Alvernia coach Andrew Henry was not surprised by the win, telling ''

'' after the race: "It doesn't matter where she's at, from the moment she in a final, her aim is always to win and it doesn't matter who's she's up against, she's focused on what her objectives are".

2021 outdoor season

Nelson started the outdoor season on 27 March with her first sub-23 seconds (though

wind-assisted In track and field, wind assistance is the benefit that an athlete receives during a race or event as registered by a wind gauge. Wind is one of many forms of weather that can affect sport. Due to a tailwind helping to enhance the speed of the at ...

with +2.5 m/s wind velocity) 200 metres race with a time of 22.79 seconds to win at the Aztec Invitational in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

.Levy, Leighton (28 March 2021)
"Kemba Nelson wins 200 season opener in San Diego"
''SportsMax''. Retrieved 17 May 2021. She competed at the USATF Grand Prix in the University of Oregon's renovated

Hayward Field Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's track and field teams since 1921, and was the on-campus ho ...

on 24 April, winning her 100 metres semi final in a wind-assisted (+2.4 m/s wind velocity) time of 11.08 seconds ahead of Olympic champions

Allyson Felix Allyson Michelle Felix (born November 18, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 me ...

and

Tianna Bartoletta Tianna Bartoletta née Madison (born August 30, 1985) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the long jump and short sprinting events. She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she placed ...

. In the final Nelson finished fifth in 11.22 seconds, several meters behind

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 won in 10.97 seconds, but Nelson didn't expect to win even her semi-final and called it a "very, very good experience". On 27 May, at the 2021 NCAA West Preliminary in

College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East-Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin. ...

for the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships, Nelson lead the first round results with her first sub-11 seconds race with a time of 10.91 seconds. The wind was again over the limit for record purposes at +2.1 m wind, but she again ran under 11 seconds two days later in the quarter-finals with a 10.98 seconds personal best in almost still conditions (+0.1 m/s wind), qualifying for the 2021 NCAA Division I Championships in June.Hansen, Chris (27 May 2021)
"Kemba Nelson and the Oregon women soar through Day 1 of NCAA West Preliminary track meet"
''

''. Retrieved 9 June 2021.

Personal life

Nelson is an undergrad at the

studying applied economics, business and society, and plans to pursue a masters in finance.Williams, Sharla (9 October 2020)
"Kemba Nelson off to University of Oregon"
''

''. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

Personal best statistics

*Information from

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

."ATHLETE PROFILE Kemba NELSON"
''

''. Retrieved 13 June 2021.

References

External links

* * (Track & Field Results Reporting System)
Video of Kemba Nelson's 60 metres collegiate record
by the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Kemba 2000 births Living people People from Montego Bay Jamaican female sprinters Oregon Ducks women's track and field athletes United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field) 21st-century Jamaican women Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Jamaica Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games