Elijah_Hall-Thompson

Elijah Hall (athlete)

Elijah Hall (athlete)

American sprinter (born 1994)

Elijah Hall-Thompson (born August 22, 1994) is an American track and field sprinter and American record holder in the indoor 200 meters.[8][7][6] At the NCAA Division I Championships he helped the Houston Cougars win and set the collegiate record in the 4 × 100 meters relay in 2018, and won both the 60 meters and the 200 meters at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in 2018.[9][6] His winning time of 20.02 seconds in the 200 meters is the second fastest time ever achieved over the distance indoors.

Quick Facts Personal information, Full name ...

Hall qualified to represent the United States for the 2017 World Championships in the 200 m, but withdrew due to an injury.[10][11]

Early life

Elijah Hall grew up in Texas and attended Morton Ranch High School, where he played American football. Due to his football speed, he would run track after the football season ended. After his junior season, Hall tore his ACL; after recovering, he broke his arm during football the following year. However, he clocked an impressive 20.60 seconds over the 200m at the Texas UIL 6A State Championships. He began to take more interest in track, and joined a club during the summer where he trained with his track rival from Ridge Point High School, Cameron Burrell, son of former world record holder Leroy Burrell. Hall decided to leave football behind in order to be a healthier athlete, and focus on track.

Collegiate career

2015-2016: Community College

Hall attended Garden City Community College for a semester, then transferred to Butler County Community College. He won the NJCAA indoor title in the 200m, and finished 8th in the 60m. Injuries continued to plague him from time-to-time, and he was just able to help his team finish 2nd in the 4x100m. In 2016, he defended his indoor 200m title and finished 7th in the 60m. Outdoors, he won the 100m in 10.16 and finished 2nd in the 200m. He then competed at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, finishing 6th in his 100m heat; and he was disqualified in his 200m heat.

2017: Joining the Houston Cougars

Hall returned to Texas and transferred to the University of Houston, to join Burrell and to be coached by his father Leroy and track & field legend Carl Lewis. His injury returned as he pulled up in the 200m at the Fayetteville Tyson Invitational. Two months later, he appeared to be doing well outdoors, winning both the 100m and the 200m at the American Athletic Conference Championships, the latter in a wind-aided 19.96. His injury returned at the NCAA West Preliminary round, and he was forced to miss the NCAA Championships. Hall finally got his measure at the US Championships, where he finished 3rd in the 200m with 20.21 seconds and qualified for the World Championships in London, England. However, his injury returned yet again and he was forced to miss out.

2018: National Record Holder

Hall posing with the clock after setting a collegiate record in the indoor 200m in 2018

Finally feeling healthy, Hall began to break through in the 2018 season. Leading up to the championships, he had only been defeated once between the 60m and the 200m. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Hall stumbled in the 60m but was able to make an unbelievable late charge and win the title in a personal best of 6.52 seconds. Then, in the 200m, he set a collegiate, American and NACAC record of 20.02 seconds, the second-fastest time in history over the indoor 200m. He then helped Houston's 4x400m team to 4th place.

Despite his incredible 200m performance, Leroy Burrell and Carl Lewis decided for Hall to focus on the 100m for the outdoor season. Though his first few races were rough, he made it through to the final at the NCAA Championships with 2 other Cougars: Cameron and junior Mario Burke. Having put 3 athletes in the 100m final, Houston won the 4x100m with ease, defending their title and setting a collegiate record of 38.17 seconds in the rain. Then, in a surprise finish, Hall finished 2nd in the 100m behind Cameron, both defeating the favorite from Florida State Andre Ewers. Burke finished in 8th, meaning Houston scored 19 points in the final, contributing to their 2nd place team finish.

In October, Hall and Cameron turned professional and signed with Nike and Red Bull.

Statistics

Personal Bests

More information Event, Time ...

National championship results

  • DNF = did not finish
  • DQ = disqualified
  • PB = personal best
  • NR = national (American) record
  • CR = collegiate record
More information Year, Competition ...

Seasonal bests

More information Year, 60 meters ...

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    Shared with John Lewis III, Mario Burke, and Cameron Burrell for the Houston Cougars. Hall was the second carrier, after Lewis and before Burke.[9][5]

References

  1. [1]
    "Elijah Hall profile". Athletics Podium. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  2. [2]
    Gretschel, Johanna (June 15, 2018). "The Floodgates Have Opened: A Running List Of College Athletes Turning Pro". FloTrack. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  3. [3]
    "2017-18 Track and Field Roster". uhcougars.com. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Healthy Hall Realizing Promise". Track & Field News. March 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  5. [5]
    Knapp, Gwendolyn (February 25, 2019). "Will the UH Men's Track Team Make History?". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  6. [6]
    Wyatt, Matt (March 10, 2018). "UH runner Elijah Hall sets collegiate record, wins two NCAA indoor titles". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  7. [7]
    Jordan, Roy (March 10, 2018). "Norman breaks world indoor 400m record at NCAA Indoor Championships". IAAF. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  8. [8]
    Fleming, Joe (March 10, 2018). "World, collegiate records highlight NCAA indoor track and field championships". USA Today. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  9. [9]
    Grundy, William (June 9, 2018). "Houston Repeats NCAA 4x100 Title In 38.17 Collegiate Record!". MileSplit. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  10. [10]
    Duarte, Joseph (June 25, 2017). "UH's Eli Hall qualifies for IAFF World Championships in London". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  11. [11]
    "Houston's Eli Hall to Miss IAAF World Championships". Houston Cougars. July 19, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  12. [12]
    "ATHLETE PROFILE Elijah HALL-THOMPSON". World Athletics. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  13. [13]
    "2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Results". USA Track & Field. July 10, 2016. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  14. [14]
    "2017 USATF Championships - 6/22/2017 to 6/25/2017 - Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, Calif. - Results". USA Track & Field. June 25, 2017. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  15. [15]
    "ELIJAH HALL HOUSTON". Track & Field Results Reporting System. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  16. [16]
    "ELI HALL-THOMPSON BUTLER CC". Track & Field Results Reporting System. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
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