Nnenna Lynch (born July 3, 1971, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) is a retired middle distance and long distance runner from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. She won the gold medal at the

1997 Summer Universiade The 1997 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIX Summer Universiade, took place in the island of Sicily, Italy. The United States topped the medal table. Venues Catania * Stadio Angelo Massimino — closing ceremonies and athletics * Teatro ...

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in the women's 5,000 metres event, when she defeated Canada's Lori Durward (second) and Sarah Howell (third). In January 1998, she placed first at the US world cross-country trials in

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, qualifying her to represent the country at the

1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1998 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 21/22, 1998. The races were held at the Menara district in Marrakech, Morocco. Reports of the event were given in ''The New York Times'', in the Herald, and for the IAAF. ...

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

, where the US women's team finished 5th. Starting July 1, 2023, she is the Chair of the Board of Directors of

New York Road Runners New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more ...

. Currently, she lives in New York with her husband Jonathon Kahn and two young children. She is the sister of runner and filmmaker

Shola Lynch Shola Lynch (born March 20, 1969) is an American filmmaker, artist, and former child actress. She is best known for her films ''Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed'' (2004) and ''Free Angela and All Political Prisoners'' (2012), both of which focu ...

Awards and Honors

*1993

NCAA Woman of the Year Award The NCAA Woman of the Year Award was created to honor senior female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Each year ...

References

Profile
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USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is a 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 1 ...

1971 births Living people American female middle-distance runners American female long-distance runners Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Track and field athletes from New York (state) FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade 20th-century American women Villanova Wildcats women's track and field athletes Villanova Wildcats women's cross country runners NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners {{US-longdistance-athletics-bio-stub