Anna Hall (heptathlete)

Anna Hall (born 23 March 2001)[3] is an American athlete specializing in the combined events. She won the silver medal in the heptathlon at the 2023 World Championships and the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. Hall is the North American indoor record holder for the pentathlon.

Anna Hall
Personal information
Birth nameAnna Marcia Jean Hall
Born (2001-03-23) 23 March 2001 (age 23)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
EmployerAdidas
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[1]
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Heptathlon, Pentathlon, 400 m, 400 m hurdles
College teamFlorida Gators (2021–2022)
Georgia Bulldogs (2019–2021)
Coached byMike Holloway (head coach), Mellanee Welty, Nic Peterson, Adrian Mann, Eric Werskey
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking1st (Heptathlon, 2023)[2]
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest Heptathlon
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Eugene Heptathlon
Pan American U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 San José Heptathlon

Her heptathlon and pentathlon best scores place her fifth and fourth on the respective world all-time lists. She is the only woman to break 6700 points in the heptathlon and run under 55 seconds in the 400 meters hurdles.[4] Hall also has a 50.82 s personal best in the 400 meters. She is a three-time U.S. national champion and won two NCAA Division I titles representing the University of Florida.

Early life and background

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Anna Hall is the daughter of Ronette and David Hall. She has three sisters: older sisters Kathryn and Julia and younger sister Lauryn.

Anna Hall grew up in an athletic household in Highlands Ranch, Colorado near Denver. Her father David was a three-sport letterman at the University of Michigan: a quarterback on the football team, a basketball player, and a competitor in the decathlon. Her older sisters Kathryn and Julia played tennis and ran track at Michigan respectively. Anna started track at seven by doing the high jump and then also running the 1500 meters.

Growing up in the mountains, she skied, played soccer, volleyball, lacrosse and field hockey, and swam for her neighborhood pool team in the summer.[1][5][6][7]

Early career

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Hall started high school at Arapahoe but switched to Valor Christian for her second year.[7] She was a three-time New Balance Nationals pentathlon champion between 2017 and 2019 and the 2018 New Balance Nationals high jump champion.[1] In 2018, she set her first pentathlon (junior class) and heptathlon national high school records. The 17-year-old made her international debut at the World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland that year, finishing ninth in the heptathlon against athletes up to two years her senior. The following year, she improved both her national high school records with 4302 and 5847 points at the USATF Indoor Championships (third place in senior division aged still 17) and Pan American U20 Championships (first place) respectively.[1] She was also back-to-back heptathlon U20 national champion.[3]

College

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University of Georgia: 2021 injury

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In 2019–2021, Hall represented the Georgia Bulldogs. In 2021, after finishing second in the NCAA indoor pentathlon and third in the high jump, she was an NCAA high jump All-American to help the Bulldogs earn their NCAA Outdoor third-place team finish as she skipped the heptathlon competition to focus on the delayed 2020 US Olympic trials.[1]

During her 100 meters hurdles heat at the Olympic trials in June 2021, she hit the eighth barrier and crashed hard on the track, breaking the navicular bone in her left foot. She later posted, "my heart is broken that I didn’t get to put up the score I know I was ready for and my Olympic dreams (for this year) were shattered before my eyes".[8] Hall had a surgery to insert a screw into the injured foot and wasn't cleared to walk until October. In the meantime, after a Bulldogs coaching change, she transferred from the University of Georgia to the University of Florida for a better fit both athletically and academically.[8][4]

University of Florida: World heptathlon bronze

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In 2022, Hall represented the Florida Gators. After overcoming the broken foot,[9] she turned in a personal best of 4618 points in her second pentathlon competition in February, winning the SEC indoor title.[4] She then claimed the pentathlon and heptathlon titles at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Division I Championships respectively. Indoors, Hall helped the Gators win their first women's NCAA Indoor team title in 30 years. Outdoors, she was also the 400 m hurdles silver medalist to help the Gators earn their first ever NCAA Outdoor team title (running the 800 meters 20 minutes after her hurdles final).[4][10][11] She shattered her heptathlon personal best with a score of 6412 points at the Texas Relays, breaking the collegiate record of 6390 set by the world record-holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1983 and setting an American record in the heptathlon 800 meters with a time of 2:04.61.[8] Hall improved both marks to take the title at the USATF Combined Event Championships, with a total of 6458 points and the third-fastest heptathlon 800 m time in world history (2:03.11).[4] She was named USTFCCCA Women's Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year.[12]

 
Hall (C) won the 200 and 800 m (pictured at) runs at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

In July 2022, the 21-year-old bettered her heptathlon personal best by almost 300 points with a score of 6755 to claim the bronze medal at the home World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. After setting lifetime bests in three events, she became the third-best female heptathlete in American history and established a new NCAA record. It was the best US female heptathlon since 1993 and the first world medal in the discipline for the country for 20 years – since Shelia Burrell also earned bronze in 2001.[13][14]

Professional career

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In August 2022, Hall turned professional, signing a contract with Adidas.[15]

2023: North American pentathlon indoor record

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On February 16, 2023, she obliterated Brianne Theisen-Eaton's North American pentathlon record with a total of 5004 points at the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Becoming the third female in history to achieve 5000 points or more and moving up to second place on the world all-time list, Hall just missed the world record of 5013 pts, set by Nataliya Dobrynska in 2012.[16][17] At the same meet, she later claimed the 400 meters title, running a new personal best time of 51.03 seconds.[18]

On May 28, the 22-year-old improved her hepthatlon PB by 233 points by amassing a world-leading 6988 for a win at the prestigious Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria to move to second / fifth on the NACAC area / world all-time list respectively. She set personal bests in five events, including a 100 m hurdles meet record of 12.75 s. Hall also turned in the second-best ever, behind only Jackie Joyner-Kersee, day-one score of 4172.[19] She was selected for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.[20]

2024

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Hall underwent knee surgery in January 2024. After breaking her foot mid-competition at the 2021 Olympic trials, Hall secured a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning the heptathlon at the US Olympic trials in June.[21] She competed in the heptathlon at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, finishing in fifth place overall.[22]

Achievements

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Hepthathlon medalists at Oregon 2022 (L–R): Anouk Vetter (6867 pts), Nafi Thiam (6947 pts) and Anna Hall (6755 pts).

International competitions

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Representing the   United States
Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
2018 World U20 Championships Tampere, Finland 9th Heptathlon 5655 pts
2019 Pan American U20 Championships San José, Costa Rica 1st Heptathlon 5847 pts
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 3rd Heptathlon 6755 pts PB
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 2nd Heptathlon 6720 pts
2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 5th Heptathlon 6615

Circuit wins

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Personal bests

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Outdoor
Event Performance Points Venue Date Notes
100 m hurdles 12.75 s 1162 Götzis, Austria May 27, 2023 Hypo-Meeting MR
High jump 1.92 m 1132 Götzis, Austria May 27, 2023
Shot put 14.54 m 830 Budapest, Hungary August 19, 2023
200 meters 22.88 s 1091 Götzis, Austria May 27, 2023
Long jump 6.54 m 1020 Götzis, Austria May 28, 2023
Javelin throw 45.99 m 819 Paris, France August 9, 2024
800 meters 2:02.97 min 1070 Götzis, Austria May 28, 2023 3rd all time[note 1]
Heptathlon 6988 pts PB total: 7124 Götzis, Austria May 28, 2023 5th woman of all time
Heptathlon NCAA 6755 pts Eugene, OR, United States July 18, 2022 CR (PS)
400 meters 50.82 s Paris, France June 9, 2023
400 m hurdles 54.42 s Florence, Italy June 2, 2023
Indoor
Event Performance Points Venue Date Notes
60 m hurdles 8.04 s 1120 Albuquerque, NM, United States February 16, 2023
High jump 1.91 m 1119 Albuquerque, NM, United States February 16, 2023
Shot put 13.80 m 781 Albuquerque, NM, United States February 16, 2023
Long jump 6.34 m 956 Albuquerque, NM, United States February 16, 2023
800 meters 2:05.33 min 1034 College Station, TX, United States February 25, 2022
Pentathlon 5004 pts PB total: 5010 Albuquerque, NM, United States February 16, 2023 North American record, 4th woman of all time
400 meters 51.03 s Albuquerque, NM, United States February 18, 2023

National championships

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
Representing FK Elite Club / Valor Christian High School
2016 NSAF Nationals North Carolina A&T State University 7th Heptathlon 4517 pts
2017 Cuban Combined Events Championships Havana, Cuba 1st Heptathlon 4796 pts
NSAF Nationals North Carolina A&T State University 12th High jump 1.70 m (5 ft 6+34 in)
2nd Heptathlon 4926 pts
2018 NSAF Indoor Nationals Fort Washington Avenue Armory 1st Pentathlon 4054 pts
USATF U20 Championships Indiana University 1st Heptathlon 5660 pts
2019 USATF Indoor Championships Staten Island, New York 3rd Pentathlon 4302 pts
NSAF Indoor Nationals Fort Washington Avenue Armory 1st Pentathlon 4209 pts
USATF U20 Championships Miramar, Florida 1st Heptathlon 5646 pts
Representing Georgia Bulldogs
2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico All-American Pentathlon Cancelled by COVID-19[23]
2021 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Fayetteville, Arkansas 3rd High jump 1.87 m (6 ft 1+12 in)
2nd Pentathlon 4401 pts
NCAA Division I Championships University of Oregon 7th High jump 1.81 m (5 ft 11+14 in)
US Olympic Trials University of Oregon 11th High jump 1.77 m (5 ft 9+12 in)
Heptathlon DNF
Representing Florida Gators
2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships Birmingham, Alabama 1st Pentathlon 4586 pts
USATF Combined Events Championships University of Arkansas 1st Heptathlon 6458 pts PB
NCAA Division I Championships University of Oregon 2nd 400 m hurdles 54.76
1st Heptathlon 6385 pts
USATF Championships University of Oregon 20th (h) 100 m hurdles 13.43
8th Long jump 6.42 m (21 ft 34 in) =PB
Representing Adidas
2023 USATF Indoor Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 1st 400 m 51.03 PB
1st Pentathlon 5004 pts AR
USATF Outdoor Championships University of Oregon 1st Heptathlon 6677 pts
2024 US Olympic Trials University of Oregon 1st Heptathlon 6614 pts

Sources:[24][25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Anna Hall – 2020–21 Track & Field Roster". Georgia Bulldogs. University of Georgia. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  2. ^ "World Rankings | Women's Heptathlon (Pentathlon)".
  3. ^ a b "Anna HALL – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Conklin, Ashley (21 June 2022). "College heptathlon star Anna Hall ready to face the world at WCH Oregon22". World Athletics. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. ^ Frierson, John (22 June 2020). "Quick Chat: Anna Hall – The Frierson Files". Georgia Bulldogs. University of Georgia. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  6. ^ Carter, Scott (27 May 2022). "Built For This: Gators Standout Anna Hall's Comeback Season No Fluke". Florida Gators. University of Florida. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b Dressman, Denny (2 December 2022). "Under Further Review – 'Two scoops of versatility' best describes Anna Hall". The Villager. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Hollobaugh, Jeff (22 April 2022). "Anna Hall Bouncing Back From Olympic Trials Disaster". Track & Field News. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  9. ^ McCarvel, Nick (11 June 2023). "Anna Hall on how she bounced back from her shattered Olympic dream". Olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  10. ^ Built For This: Gators Standout Anna Hall's Comeback Season No Fluke Florida Gators
  11. ^ Florida track and field star Anna Hall a finalist for The Bowerman award WCJB-TV
  12. ^ "Anna Hall, Florida: 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Field Athlete of the Year". USTFCCCA. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  13. ^ "All time Top lists – Heptathlon Women – Senior U.S. All | until 2022-07-18". World Athletics. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  14. ^ Conklin, Ashley (19 July 2022). "Anna Hall's star power continues to grow with bronze medal in heptathlon". World Athletics. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  15. ^ Lorge Butler, Sarah (17 February 2023). "Anna Hall Comes ThisClose to World Record in Pentathlon". Runner's World. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  16. ^ Boal, Erik (17 February 2023). "Anna Hall achieves American pentathlon record, elevates to No. 2 all-time in world at USATF Indoor Championships". RunnerSpace.com. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Hobbs and Hall go No.2 all time at US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque". World Athletics. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Anna Hall, Justin Robinson take 400m titles at US Indoor Championships". world-track.org. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  19. ^ Sampaolo, Diego (28 May 2023). "Hall scores 6988 to win Götzis heptathlon, LePage takes decathlon". World Athletics. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  20. ^ Gault, Jonathan (7 August 2023). "USATF Announces 2023 World Championship Roster". letsrun.com. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  21. ^ Li, David (25 June 2024). "Anna Hall overcame a broken foot and knee surgery en route to Paris with help from legendary mentor". NBC News. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Women's Heptathlon Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  23. ^ 2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships startlist Flash Results
  24. ^ Anna Hall Track and Field Results Athletic.net
  25. ^ Anna Hall Georgia and Florida Track and Field Results TFRRS
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