Tianna Bartoletta née Madison (born August 30, 1985) is an American

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 eve ...

athlete who specializes in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

and short sprinting events. She is a two-time Olympian with three gold medals. At the 2012 Summer Olympics she placed fourth in the 100m race then won her first gold by leading off the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

-setting

4 × 100 m relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

team. At the 2016 Summer Olympics she won two more golds, first with a personal best to win the

then again leading off the victorious

team. Other achievements include winning the long jump

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 2005 and 2015, plus the long jump World Indoor Championship in 2006. She also was a pusher on the U.S.

bobsled Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

team in 2012. It was announced in August 2020 that Bartoletta would be joining SPIRE Institute and Academy as an ambassador. She will be joining the others such as Ryan Lochte and

Elizabeth Beisel Elizabeth Lyon Beisel (born August 18, 1992) is an American competition swimmer who specializes in backstroke and individual medley events. Beisel placed second in the 400m individual medley at the 2016 US Olympic Swimming Trials, qualifying fo ...

representing the school. The goal of the partnership with SPIRE and the ambassadors is to emphasize the development of peak performance in athletics, academics, character and life.

High school

Tianna Bartoletta (birthname Tianna Madison) was born on August 30, 1985 in

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in the Greater Cleveland metropolitan statistical area and the county seat of Lorain County, Ohio, Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located at the forks of the Black River (Ohio), Black River in Northeast Ohio 23 miles sou ...

. She attended local public schools, including

Elyria High School Elyria High School is a public high school in Elyria, Ohio. Founded in 1830, it is notable for being the first chartered high school west of the Allegheny Mountains. Elyria High School athletic teams are known as the Pioneers and compete in the ...

. She was a member of the 2003 ''USA TODAY'' All-USA High School Girls Track Team, as well as her high school basketball and track teams. She appeared in the 2003 " Faces In The Crowd" section of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...

'', participated in the Ohio Reads program working with elementary students, made Elyria High School’s High and Distinguished Honor Rolls for four years running, and was named the 2003 Gatorade Ohio High School Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Tianna was named a 2002 American Track & Field Outdoor All-American. She earned nine career high school state championships, including seven in individual events, and became the third athlete in Ohio history to win four events at a state championship meet two years in a row (Susan Nash 1983–84 and

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifet ...

1932–33). Her team won the Ohio Division I team title in 2003, and Team district titles all four years. Bartoletta won her third Ohio

crown and set a state outdoor record and state-meet best in 2003, while claiming state 100m titles in 2002 and 2003 and winning the Ohio 200m championships. She anchored the 4 × 100 m relay to victory in both 2002 and 2003, setting state records. She set the indoor mark in 2002 and is fourth on the all-time girls' indoor long jump list. Bartoletta won the Intermediate Girls Division at the

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

Junior Olympic Championships in 2001. She set meet records at the 2002 Nike Indoor Classic and the Adidas Outdoor Championships in 2003. She also won the Volunteer Indoor Track Classic and the 2003 USATF Junior Championships.

Collegiate career

Bartoletta attended the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

. She won the SEC Indoor Long Jump, SEC Outdoor Long Jump, NCAA Indoor Long Jump, and NCAA Outdoor Long Jump titles, and both Indoor and Outdoor

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors. She was named Academic All-SEC and a member of the Lady Vol Academic Honor Roll. Tianna is currently third all-time on University of Tennessee's indoor performer lists in the 60m dash and long jump, fifth all-time in the triple jump and 55m, and sixth in the 200m. Bartoletta was selected as the SEC Freshman Outdoor Field Events Athlete of the Year. She also won the long jump and 55m at the SEC Invitational, the long jump at the Penn State National Open, the Sea Ray Relays, the

Knoxville Invitational The Knoxville Invitational was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was held in Knoxville, Tennessee from 1944 to 1946. The 1944 event was held at Whittle Springs Golf Course while those in 1945 and 1946 were held at the Holston Hills Country Cl ...

, the Gatorade Classic, and ran the opening 200-meter leg that set collegiate, meet, stadium and school records in the sprint medley baton event at the

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (also Penn Relays Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012, there were ...

for Tennessee. She is ranked first all-time in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

’s history of the outdoor long jump at 6.89 meters (22 ft 7.5 in).

Professional career

In August 2005, Bartoletta won the gold medal at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships in Athletics with a then personal best distance of 6.89 meters. In 2006, Tianna won the silver medal at the World Indoor Championships of Athletics with a jump of 6.80 meters. Her medal was elevated to gold when the Russian winner

Tatyana Kotova Tatyana Vladimirovna Kotova (russian: Татьяна Владимировна Котова, born 11 December 1976) is a track and field athlete who competed for Russia in the long jump. Her personal best jump of 7.42 m at Annecy in 2002, is th ...

was disqualified for using

performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...

. Ms. Bartoletta won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London in the women's 4x100 relay. She ran the lead-off leg in the final, in which the U.S. team set a world record. She also competed in the individual 100 meter event. She reached the final, finishing fourth with a personal best time of 10.85.Track & Field: Results & Schedules
nbcolympics.com In 2014, Tianna was crowned USA outdoor champion in the 100m, USA indoor champion in the 60m, and USA outdoor long jump runner-up. In 2015, Bartoletta defended her title as the USA indoor champion in the 60mUSATF Indoor Track and Field Championships 2015
Usatf.tv (March 1, 2015). Retrieved on 2016-08-20. and was ranked number 1 in the world in the women's long jump.
Diamondleague.com. Retrieved on August 20, 2016. On August 28, 2015, Bartoletta won the gold medal in the women's long jump at the 2015 World Outdoor Championships of Athletics, with a personal best distance of 7.14 meters, 10 years after her first triumph. On August 17, 2016, Bartoletta came in as one of the favourites in the Women's Long Jump as she was the reigning world champion. Other favourites were compatriot Brittney Reese, reigning Olympic Champion and world leader, Ivana Španović, the best non- American Long Jumper, and Daria Klishina, Russia's sole track&field representative. Bartoletta did not disappoint, winning her first Olympic title with a personal best jump of 7.17m. In August 2020, SPIRE Institute and Academy signed Bartoletta to become a track and field ambassador. As an ambassador she will lead and instruct select classes.

Bobsledding

In October 2012, Bartoletta was named to the U.S. National

team. Bartoletta was one of three track and field Olympians (along with Lolo Jones and

Hyleas Fountain Hyleas Fountain (born January 14, 1981) is an American heptathlete. She was the silver medalist in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Career Early years Fountain was born in Columbus, Georgia, and was a member of the 1992 Harrisburg Parks ...

) invited to the U.S. women's bobsled push championship by coach Todd Hays. Jones and Bartoletta made the bobsled team, giving them a chance to earn a spot on the bobsled World Cup circuit. On November 9, 2012, Bartoletta and teammate

Elana Meyers Elana Meyers Taylor (born Elana Alessandra Meyers; October 10, 1984) is an American Olympic bobsledder and World Champion who has competed since 2007. Born in Oceanside, California, Meyers Taylor was raised in Douglasville, Georgia and is a grad ...

placed third in Bartoletta's first career World Cup bobsledding competition.

Personal life

Tianna Madison married John Bartoletta in 2016 but began going by her married surname after the Olympics in 2012. They resided near

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. She credited John for reviving her athletic career. Bartoletta separated from her husband in May 2017. Bartoletta and her husband divorced in 2020 In the lead-up to the 2012 Olympics, Bartoletta publicly claimed to have been molested by another student in high school and experienced other problems with her parents. They ended up suing her and her husband for defamation in September. However, the lawsuit was dismissed in March 2013.Defamation lawsuit against Tianna Madison dismissed by her parents
Morningjournal.com (March 19, 2013). Retrieved on 2016-08-20. In Fall 2021, Madison was inducted into Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

Organization

Bartoletta is the founder and president of Club 360, a program helping young women build successful lives by enabling them to broaden their experiences and make educated decisions.

References

External links

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartoletta, Tianna 1985 births Living people People from Elyria, Ohio Sportspeople from Greater Cleveland Track and field athletes from Ohio American female long jumpers American female sprinters Olympic female long jumpers Olympic female sprinters Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists World Athletics record holders (relay) Tennessee Volunteers women's track and field athletes African-American female track and field athletes Diamond League winners USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners World Athletics Indoor Championships winners IAAF Continental Cup winners World Athletics Championships winners 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women