Lightfoot’s record vault earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Baylor University junior KC Lightfoot (Lee’s Summit, Missouri) was voted overwhelmingly by fans as the first USATF Athlete of the Week for 2021 after setting a collegiate indoor record in the men’s pole vault.
 
Lightfoot, who was a Team USATF member at the 2019 World Championships in Doha after placing third at the USATF Outdoor Championships, soared over 5.94m/19-5.75 at Texas Tech’s Corky Classic in Lubbock, adding a centimeter to the previous collegiate indoor record set one year earlier by South Dakota’s Chris Nilsen.
 
Competing for the first time since he won the Big 12 indoor title last Feb. 29, Lightfoot had first-attempt clearances at 5.44m/17-10.5, 5.70m/18-8.25 and 5.85m/19-2.25 before going over the record height on his first try. He made three attempts at 6.00m/19-8.25 but was unable to become the 13th member of that elite all-time club.
 
More top performances from last week:

• Athing Mu of Texas A&M bettered the existing American U20 indoor record in the women’s 800m, clocking 2:01.07 at the Ted Nelson Invitational in College Station. Mu, the 2019 USATF Indoor 600m champion, trimmed .71 off the previous record set in 2017 by Sammy Watson.
• Juliette Whittaker won the VA Showcase women’s 800m in 2:02.07, the fastest time ever by a high school junior, and added a 2:05.25 leg on the United All-Stars 4x800m relay that recorded the fastest U20 time ever with an 8:37.20.
• Jaylen Slade of IMG Academy won the men’s 300m at the VA Showcase in 32.77, making him the second-fastest high schooler ever indoors.

 
Now in its 20th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2021 Winners: January 21, KC Lightfoot.
 
We welcome your nominations!
 
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to communications@usatf.org.
 
Fans can follow along with #USATF on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.