Anna Hall performed on the biggest stage in sports last summer, which brought her to more eyes than ever before. The then 23-year-old from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was an Olympian in the heptathlon. Endorsed by Adidas, Hall also got a personal endorsement from the woman who was named the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century, Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
"What I see in her, is what I see in myself, [she is] a fierce competitor," is what Joyner-Kersee said of Hall who she also serves as a mentor. Having Joyner-Kersee, who won two Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon in 1988 and 1992, on multiple occasions publicly sing your praises is as good as it gets in the sport. "I believe [Hall] the best heptathlete out there, both physically and mentally," Kersee said.
Along with that, one could see Hall included in a set of trading cards for the first time.
The 2024 Topps Chrome US Olympic & Paralympic set is where Hall could be seen featured in a collection of cards that also included icons in sports such as Steph Curry, Michael Phelps and Kevin Durant. Hall finished fifth at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. It wasn't the gold medal result that she wanted but it was an amazing experience that seems to be just the beginning of a golden Olympic journey.
Hall's overall track and field experience has been a very successful story. At the end of the previous decade, she dominated the competition in Colorado as a high school athlete winning 10 state championships from 2016-2019. The talented athlete started as a ninth and tenth grader at Arapahoe High School before attending Valor Christian in her final two years prior to college.
Hall also shined on the national level while in high school. In 2019 she set a high school record at the USTAF Indoor Championships when she scored 4,302 points in the pentathlon.
Athens, Georgia was Hall's first stop as an NCAA competitor. She made her debut during the 2020 indoor season which would be the only portion of year as the outdoor campaign would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the world shutdown, Hall gave the collegiate ranks a glimpse of what was ahead with a runner-up finish in the pentathlon at the SEC Championships. While, the NCAA Indoor Championships was one of many casualties of the pandemic as it was cancelled as well, Hall still earned All-America Honors in the pentathlon and high jump, due to her performances during the season.
From there, Hall repeated her dominance just as she did in high school. She won her first SEC championship in the pentathlon in 2021 before becoming an NCAA runner-up in the event at the indoor meet. She also earned a third place finish in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Hall's time at Georgia came to a close with a First-Team All-America effort in the high jump where she finished in the top seven.
As a Florida Gator, Hall elevated her game to another level. In 2022, nobody on the collegiate level could beat her. Hall went unblemished in three pentathlon competitions including the NCAA Indoor Championships. She grabbed the top spot in the heptathlon at the outdoor collegiate championships along with winning her first USATF championship as an adult.
Hall was done with college after the 2022 season as she elected to become a professional. She went on to earn a heptathlon bronze medal at the World Championships in 2022. One year later she captured a silver medal. Since winning her first USATF heptathlon in 2022, nobody else has won it but Hall as she captured her third straight win before the 2024 Olympics.
Dominance is a consistent theme in Hall's journey. For now we can buckle up and enjoy the ride as she looks to add more championships before we reach the next major destination. That place is Los Angeles, home of the Olympics in 2028.
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