Shalonda Solomon
Encyclopedia
Shalonda Solomon is an American Track and Field
sprinter. Her greatest International accomplishment currently is a silver medal in the 100 metres
at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
while representing the Americas team. She qualified for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
by winning the 200 metres
at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
. Her 22.15 in wining that race is the world leading time for 2011. While running in the World Championships, she ran far slower than at the National Championships, finishing a distant 4th place in the 200 metres behind Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, and American teammates Carmelita Jeter
and defending champion Alyson Felix. Later in those championships, she won a Gold Medal by serving on the American 4x100 metres relay
in the preliminary rounds, replaced by Felix in the final. She has a distinct head bob while running, something notable since high school.
While at Long Beach Polytechnic High School
in Long Beach, California
she was named the Gatorade Athlete of the Year
for the school year 2003-2004. At the CIF California State Meet
, as a freshman in 2001 finished just .02 behind Allyson Felix
in the 100 metres (and third behind Felix in the 200 metres). In 2002 as a sophomore she finished second to Felix in the 100 metres and 200 metres, and ran on her team's dominating 4x100 metres relay and 4x400 metres relay victories, leading her team to the team title., a feat she and her team duplicated in 2003 and in 2004, except after the graduation of Felix, Soloman was beaten by Bishop Amat Memorial High School
senior Jasmin Baldwin.
While still in high school, she won the USA Junior Outdoor Championship at both 100 metres and 200 metres. This qualified her to run in the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships
in Barbados for the United States, where she walked away with three gold medals in the two short sprints as well as the 4x100 metrre relay. Her victory at 200 metres in 22.93 was a championship record performance. In her senior season in high school, Solomon finished runner-up in the 100 metres and 200 metres at the CIF State Meet, losing to a strong double win by Jasmine Baldwin, who ran 11.35 at 100 metres and 22.86 at 200 metres. Solomon did come through victorious in the 4x100 metre relay and the 4x400 metre relay, which is why she was voted the Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. During the summer of her final season of high school track, she had another great international performance, winning gold in the 200 metres and 4x100 metre relay at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
.
She moved to the collegiate level at the University of South Carolina
, where she ran on their 2005 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
4x400 metres relay team. The following year she won both the NCAA Indoor
and outdoor championship in the 200 metres. She also finished second behind Felix at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
. In 2006 Solomon was named Women’s Indoor Scholar Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
. Her junior year was limited by a strained left quadriceps muscle.
In 2007 she announced she would forego her senior year of eligibility to turn professional, ultimately signing with Reebok
.
In 2010, she repeated a second place at the USA National Championships in the 200 meters.
In 2011, she ran a powerful race to beat Carmelita Jeter
and win the USA National Championships
in the 200 meters and qualify for the World Championships.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
sprinter. Her greatest International accomplishment currently is a silver medal in the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
2010 IAAF Continental Cup
The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...
while representing the Americas team. She qualified for the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
by winning the 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
. Her 22.15 in wining that race is the world leading time for 2011. While running in the World Championships, she ran far slower than at the National Championships, finishing a distant 4th place in the 200 metres behind Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, and American teammates Carmelita Jeter
Carmelita Jeter
Carmelita Jeter is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters. She is the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the 100 metres.She won the 100 m bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and a gold at the World Athletics Final. she won a second World Championship bronze...
and defending champion Alyson Felix. Later in those championships, she won a Gold Medal by serving on the American 4x100 metres relay
2011 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 × 100 metres relay
The Women's 4 × 100 metres relay event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Daegu Stadium on 4 September.Runners from the United States had provided the fastest times before the competition, but bad baton exchanges had seen their teams disqualified at both the 2008 Olympics...
in the preliminary rounds, replaced by Felix in the final. She has a distinct head bob while running, something notable since high school.
While at Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a High school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States....
in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
she was named the Gatorade Athlete of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
for the school year 2003-2004. At the CIF California State Meet
CIF California State Meet
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet...
, as a freshman in 2001 finished just .02 behind Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for the United States, primarily in the 200 meters. She also competes at the 100 meters and the 400 meters distances...
in the 100 metres (and third behind Felix in the 200 metres). In 2002 as a sophomore she finished second to Felix in the 100 metres and 200 metres, and ran on her team's dominating 4x100 metres relay and 4x400 metres relay victories, leading her team to the team title., a feat she and her team duplicated in 2003 and in 2004, except after the graduation of Felix, Soloman was beaten by Bishop Amat Memorial High School
Bishop Amat Memorial High School
Bishop Amat Memorial High School is a co-ed Catholic high school serving the San Gabriel Valley in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1957. The campus is located in La Puente, California, approximately 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County...
senior Jasmin Baldwin.
While still in high school, she won the USA Junior Outdoor Championship at both 100 metres and 200 metres. This qualified her to run in the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships
2003 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships
The 12th Pan American Junior Athletics Championships were held in Bridgetown, Barbados at the National Stadium on July 18-20, 2003. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt had the outstanding performance...
in Barbados for the United States, where she walked away with three gold medals in the two short sprints as well as the 4x100 metrre relay. Her victory at 200 metres in 22.93 was a championship record performance. In her senior season in high school, Solomon finished runner-up in the 100 metres and 200 metres at the CIF State Meet, losing to a strong double win by Jasmine Baldwin, who ran 11.35 at 100 metres and 22.86 at 200 metres. Solomon did come through victorious in the 4x100 metre relay and the 4x400 metre relay, which is why she was voted the Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. During the summer of her final season of high school track, she had another great international performance, winning gold in the 200 metres and 4x100 metre relay at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics was the 2004 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Grosseto in Italy.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:-References:*. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-06-06....
.
She moved to the collegiate level at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, where she ran on their 2005 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA team champions for Women's Outdoor Track and Field-By school:-See also:*AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Outdoor Track and Field Champions*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship...
4x400 metres relay team. The following year she won both the NCAA Indoor
NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA team champions for Women's Indoor Track and Field-See also:*AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Indoor Track and Field Champions*NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship...
and outdoor championship in the 200 metres. She also finished second behind Felix at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
. In 2006 Solomon was named Women’s Indoor Scholar Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based professional association representing men's and women's cross country and track & field coaches in the United States. The organization has about 8,000 members...
. Her junior year was limited by a strained left quadriceps muscle.
In 2007 she announced she would forego her senior year of eligibility to turn professional, ultimately signing with Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
.
In 2010, she repeated a second place at the USA National Championships in the 200 meters.
In 2011, she ran a powerful race to beat Carmelita Jeter
Carmelita Jeter
Carmelita Jeter is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters. She is the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the 100 metres.She won the 100 m bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and a gold at the World Athletics Final. she won a second World Championship bronze...
and win the USA National Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
in the 200 meters and qualify for the World Championships.