Anna Hall is a gifted all-around athlete.
That was abundantly clear last year, when she was competing at the University of Florida and won the NCAA outdoor title in the heptathlon, track’s two-day, seven-event test of strength, speed, and endurance.
She also won the U.S. title—and then went on to win a bronze medal at the world championships.
More From Runner's World
In August, Hall turned pro, signing a contract with Adidas.
Today, she continued where she left off last summer. Hall, competing at the U.S. indoor championships, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, scored 5,004 points in the pentathlon, a one-day, five-event multisport competition.
In so doing, she just missed the world record of 5,013, set by Nataliya Dobrynska of Ukraine in 2012.
Hall’s total obliterated the American record, though. The previous record, 4805, was set by Sharon Day-Monroe in 2014.
Hall’s results from her day’s work: 8.04 in the 60-meter hurdles; 1.91 meters in the high jump (which converts to 6 feet, 3.2 inches); 13.80 meters in the shot put (45 feet, 3.3 inches); and 6.34 meters in the long jump (20 feet, 9.6 inches). Her hurdles, high jump, and shot put were all indoor personal bests.
That put her at 3,976 points with one event remaining: the 800 meters. Hall needed to run 2:05.10 or faster to eclipse the world record.
She went out in 1:00.35 for the first 400 meters, but she couldn’t quite hold on in the final stretch and ran 2:05.71. After the effort, she collapsed to the track in exhaustion.
But the world will be seeing a lot more of Anna Hall. She’s only 21 years old.
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
