Vashti Cunningham ties for sixth in Olympic high jump

Vashti Cunningham finished tied for sixth successful the Olympic women’s precocious leap connected Saturday successful Tokyo, clearing 1.96 meters (6 feet, 4.3 inches) and failing to wide 1.98 meters.

Mariya Lasitskene of the Russian Olympic committee won the golden medal arsenic the lone pistillate to wide 2.04 meters, which is conscionable shy of 6 feet, 7 inches. Australia’s Nicola McDermott earned metallic (2.02 meters), portion Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh took bronze (2.00 meters).

Uzbekistan’s Safina Sadullayeva tied Cunningham for sixth.

A merchandise of Bishop Gorman High School and the girl of erstwhile prima NFL backmost Randall Cunningham, the 23-year-old Vashti was the lone U.S. jock to suffice for the precocious leap finals.

This was the 2nd Olympics quality for Cunningham. She was 13th astatine the 2016 Games successful Rio de Janeiro, wherever Cunningham was the youngest American jock to suffice successful way and tract astatine the Olympics since 1980.

On Thursday Tokyo time, Cunningham made qualifying a small much melodramatic than she would person preferred. She missed connected her archetypal 2 attempts astatine the automatic qualifying tallness of 6-5, but easy cleared connected her 3rd and last try.