Inika McPherson
Inika McPherson (born September 29, 1986 in Galveston, Texas is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She was the 2013 and 2014 US Indoor champion.[1] She also won the women's high jump at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by clearing 2.00 for the first time, but was later disqualified for an anti-doping rule violation.[2] McPherson is usually easy to spot, with tattoos and a variety of hairstyles and mohawks to keep her boldly as a fashion leader.[3]
She has represented the United States at the 2007 Pan American Games, the 2011 and 2013 World Championships and the 2012 and 2014 World Indoor Championships. Her improvements have been in bursts. She moved into the rarefied air of elite competition by going 1.95 at the 2012 Mt. SAC Relays, sill finishing second to the eventual Olympic silver medalist Brigetta Barrett.[4] But McPherson didn't make it to the Olympics, not even clearing the bar in qualifying at the Olympic Trials later that year, due to a 6 mm tear in her right quad. She was told not to compete by her doctor but did anyway. [5]
She was a 2005 graduate of Memorial High School, of Port Arthur, Texas[6] where she was freshman state champion and a six foot high jumper as a freshman in high school. McPherson shares the freshman high school record with Amy Acuff 6 ft. Was also named ESPN female high jumper of the decade.[7][8] Her high school best was 6'2" (1.87 m).[9] She also excelled in the triple jump and lettered in four sports, was Texas All-State and carried a 5.0 GPA.[10]
Her next stop was the University of California, Berkeley where she set the school indoor record and was a three time NCAA All American, though she didn't get back to the range of her 6'2" from high school. Due to an injury she battled with during her years at Cal which caused her to have ankle surgery on her take off foot in 2008. [11]
Doping sanction
McPherson tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine, at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and subsequently accepted a 21-month doping ban through March 2016.[2]
References
- ↑ usatf.org retrieved 2nd July 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 USADA: US Track & Field Athlete, McPherson, Accepts Sanction For Rule Violation, usada.org, 19 December 2014
- ↑ http://spikes-mag.tumblr.com/post/53939305533/the-hair-style-and-ink-of-inika-mcpherson
- ↑ http://flashwest.com/12Meets/12MtSacRelays/120419F245.htm
- ↑ http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2012/U-S--Olympic-Team-Trials-TF/Results.aspx
- ↑ http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/hs/article/Two-Port-Arthur-natives-to-compete-in-women-s-3667544.php
- ↑ http://m.espn.go.com/general/story?storyId=4763972&src=desktop
- ↑ http://archive.dyestat.com/3us/4out/aocraleigh/preview-g-jumps.htm
- ↑ http://ca.milesplit.com/athletes/650386-inika-mcpherson/feed#.U7GulRZV-sU
- ↑ http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=208188847
- ↑ http://www.calbears.com/fls/30100/old_site/pdf/c-otrack/2011-12/misc_non_event/2012CalTFRecordBook2.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=30100
