Ariana Washington (born August 27, 1996) is an American sprinter specializing in the

100 m The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

and

200 m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

. She represented the United States in the relay at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, and earned a gold medal at the 2017 World Championships as part of the relay team.

Early life

Ariana Washington was born August 27, 1996, in

Signal Hill, California Signal Hill is a city in area in Los Angeles County, California. Located high on a hill, the city is an enclave completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach. Signal Hill was incorporated on April 22, 1924, roughly three years after oil was ...

. Washington attended

Long Beach Poly High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...

where she participated in track and field. As a sophomore, her team the Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits won the Penn Relays. Washington won state titles at 100 and 200 meters for her sophomore, junior, and senior years of high school.

Collegiate athlete

In her first year at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, Washington won

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

titles for 100 meters and 200 meters. She was the first freshman to win both titles.

Olympian

Washington raced in both the 100 and the 200 meter distances at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the

, finishing six and fifth respectively. Although she did not qualify as an individual at either distance, she was selected for the United States relay pool in the relay. The community of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, raised money to allow Washington's mother and brother to watch her compete in Rio de Janeiro.

Personal life

Washington met fellow Olympian

Clayton Murphy Clayton Murphy (born February 26, 1995) is an American middle-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 800-meter run at the 2016 Olympic Games. He was the gold medalist in the 800-meter run at the 2015 Pan American Games. He ran collegi ...

over a game of Uno at the USA Track and Field Athletes Lounge in the Olympic Village at the

in Rio. They got engaged in 2018, and were married in the Napa Valley on December 7, 2019.

References

External links

* * * * *
Ariana Washington
at

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Ariana Living people 1996 births American female sprinters African-American track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Los Angeles County, California Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Oregon Ducks women's track and field athletes People from Signal Hill, California World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships winners 21st-century American sportswomen 21st-century African-American sportswomen Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field) NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners