Keni Harrison & Gabi Cunningham Shine In Olympic Track & Field

Two athletes born and raised in North Carolina – Keni Harrison and Gabi Cunningham – have shined in the Tokyo Olympic Games in track and field. Harrison grew up in Clayton, North Carolina, and Cunningham is from Charlotte.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Harrison snagged a silver medal while Cunningham secured seventh place. They were both bested by Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who represented Puerto Rico and finished with a final time of 12.37 seconds. Harrison narrowly missed out on gold, finishing with a final time of 12.52 seconds. Cunningham wrapped up with a final time of 13.01 seconds.

“It was just so fun coming out here and just getting a medal for my country….. Just to get a silver medal at this stage is amazing,” said Harrison.

Anna Cockrell, also a native of North Carolina, qualified for the Olympic final in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Her qualifying time was fifth-fastest at 54.17 seconds. Cockrell is the sister of Buccaneer’s defensive back Ross Cockrell. The team held a watch party for the defensive back’s sister.

Article by David Metzger