Isaiah Harris (athlete)

Isaiah Harris (born October 18, 1996) is an American middle-distance runner.[1] He competed in the Men's 800 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.[2]

Isaiah Harris
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1996-10-18) October 18, 1996
Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
Sport
SportMiddle-distance running
Event(s)800 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m – 1:44.53 (2017)

Early Running Career

Isaiah Harris was born in Lewiston, Maine. He competed for the Lewiston Blue Devils Cross Country and Outdoor Track & Field teams in high school.[3]

While he did not run for the cross country or track teams as a freshman, Isaiah's talent and work ethic was apparent early on, as he had won the 800 meter run and triple jump at the Andy Valley Middle School Championship[4] as an 8th grader.

Isaiah's sophomore year was a "break-out" year for the runner, as he finished 6th at the Maine Class A State XC Championships[5] in a time of 16:50.75 in his first XC season. In Isaiah's first high school outdoor track season, his range and talent became apparent - after coming in 2nd in a time of 2:03.78 in his debut 800 meter race[6] he went on to win every single open 800 meter race he ran at the local/state level during his high school career. He finished his sophomore season anchoring the Lewiston Blue Devils' 4x400 and 4x800 relays to 2nd place finishes at the Maine Class A State Championships[7] in splits of 49 and 1:53, respectively, and won the 800 meter run in a Class A record time of 1:54.17, breaking the previous record of 1:54.54 from 1998, held by Ben Fletcher. A week later, Isaiah improved upon his own personal best and state record by finishing 2nd at the New England Track and Field Championships[8] in a time of 1:53.35.

After finishing 2nd at the Maine State XC Championships his junior year, Isaiah continued his dominance in outdoor track, by winning every individual race he ran that season, regardless of distance - at the Maine Class A State Championship[9] Isaiah started his meet by running a sub 1:53 anchor leg on his team's 4x800 relay, but the relay was disqualified due to an earlier violation. Undeterred, Isaiah would win his second straight 800 meter title and improve upon his own state record in a time of 1:52.96, winning the race by over 9 seconds. He followed that up by winning the 200 meter dash in a time of 22.76 less than 45 minutes later, and finished the meet by anchoring the 4x400 relay to a school record and second place finish in a time of 3:27.07, contributing a split of 47 seconds. He then won the 800 meter run at the New England Championships in a time of 1:51.47.

As a senior, Isaiah continued to make a name for himself, as in addition to the 4x400 relay, he attempted a triple that had never been won by any male in Class A Championship meet history - the 200 meter dash, 800 meter run, and 1600 meter run. He would win all three, running 22.25 for the 200 meter dash, 1:55.42 in the 800 meter run, and 4:18.92 in the 1600 meter run, before anchoring the 4x400 meter relay to a win in a time of 3:28.24.[10] Isaiah was responsible for 32.5 of Lewiston's 71 points, and the Lewiston boys team won their first team state championship since 2006. Isaiah attempted the 800/200 double again at the New England Championships, winning the 800 and finishing 4th in the 200 in a new state record time of 21.82. Isaiah finished his high school career by running 1:49.63 and finishing 3rd at New Balance Outdoor Nationals, earning All-American status.

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing the  United States
2016 NACAC U23 Championships San Salvador, El Salvador 1st 800 m 1:47.52
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 17th (sf) 800 m 1:46.66

[11]

References

  1. "Isaiah Harris". www.gopsusports.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  2. "800 Metres Men - Heats - Summary" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  3. "Isaiah Harris - Stats". MaineTrackXC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  4. "Andy Valley MS Championship - Boys & Girls (Raw)". MaineTrackXC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  5. "Class A State XC Championship - Boys Complete (Raw)". MaineTrackXC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  6. "Tom Foley Invitational - Boys & Girls (Raw)". MaineTrackXC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  7. "Maine Class A State Championship - Boys (Raw)". MaineTrackXC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  8. "New England Championship - Meet Results (Raw)". Connecticut MileSplit. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  9. "Maine Class A State Championship - Boys (Raw)". MaineTrackXC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  10. "Maine Class A State Championship - Boys Results (Raw)". MaineTrackXC. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  11. Isaiah Harris at World Athletics
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