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Abby Steiner – Winning a title and setting a record are two things that can solidify an athlete’s name in the history of their respective sport, and Abby Steiner is among the few to say with confidence that she has done both.
The track and field champion set a collegiate record at the NCAA championships in mid-June, right before winning her first title in the women’s 200 meters dash in Oregon.
The national title is a significant win as it marks her entry into the summer world championship.
Proudly wearing her University of Kentucky uniform, Abby Steiner not only participated in the USA Track & Field outdoor championships but also won the 200 final.
Running into a slight headwind at 21.77 seconds, Steiner clocked in the fastest record in the world in 2022 at 0.3 seconds faster than her NCAA meet on June 11 at Hayward field.
Steiner also ran 21.80 during the Sunday semifinals.
In the final, the athlete ran down Tamar Clark and Jenna Prandini in the final 50 meters. Clark placed second with a personal best of 21.92, while Prandini got third place with 22.01.
Abby Steiner spoke after the victory, saying she dug in for the final half of the race after Clark initially led the race.
“I think it’s just, the important thing is maintaining form on the backstretch and just digging deep to get to that finish line,” she said.
The NCAA record was not her only feat, as Steiner ran and finished on a high at Hayward Field.
The athlete was asked what the 200 national meant to her, to which she replied:
“Everything, you know, coming off a collegiate season, a lot of people want to put limitations on you,” Steiner explained.
“Say you’re going to get burned out. But me and my coaches trust the process, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Abby Steiner’s athleticism had been evident growing up, primarily playing soccer before running track in the eighth grade.
The track champion said she was often the fastest player during soccer tryouts as a kid.
Although she suffered from a torn ACL in her junior year of high school, Steiner still set Ohio records in four different track events, winning 16 state track titles along the way.
After running on Saturday, Abby Steiner said it would be the last time she wore the Wildcat uniform.
