American Ebony Collins (© Kirby Lee The Sporting Image)
Ebony Collins has had a storied career in athletics that has spanned 11 years. There figures to be plenty to come from the 15-year-old American who began running at age 4.
Collins, who will represent the United States in the 400m Hurdles in the IAAF World Youth Championships in Marrakech, is the freshman and sophomore national U.S. high school record holder in the 300m Hurdles at 40.81 and 40.10.
She also has personal bests of 11.50 in the 100m, 23.42 in the 200m and 53.60 in the 400m. In the California State High School Finals on 4 June, Collins ran lifetime bests in the 100m Hurdles and 300m Hurdles and had a hand in four victories competing in the maximum number of events allowed by interscholastic rules.
In a three-hour span, Collins won the 100 and the 300 Hurdles by more than two seconds in arguably the top state in the U.S. for high school track. Collins also ran on Long Beach Wilson High’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays that ran U.S. yearly leading marks of 44.84 and 3:39.27.
Big Test in USATF Junior Nationals
Collins will have a big challenged when she competes in the 400m Hurdles in the USA Track & Field Junior Nationals in the age 19 and under competition at the Home Depot Center on 23-26 June.
Collins, who won’t be 16 until November and doesn’t have a driver’s license, will be running against athletes, who have completed their freshman year in college. Collins, however, remains unfazed.
“When I run against older competitors it’s exciting,” Collins said. “It doesn’t bother me.’’
Storied Hurdle Tradition at Long Beach Wilson
Collins has hefty credentials for any high school sophomore but it’s a little different for her attending Long Beach Wilson High.
The high school has produced 2004 Olympic 400m Hurdles semi-finalist Lashinda Demus, the World junior record holder in the 400m Hurdles and high school national record holder at 39.98 in the 300m Hurdles, and MacKenzie Hill, a bronze medallist in the 400m Hurdles in the 2003 Pan-American Junior Games.
LaKeisha Backus, a 1994 World Junior silver medallist in the 200m, and Kinshasa Davis, a 1997 Pan-American Junior 200m champion, also attended Wilson.
“It’s very disturbing because they have set such a high standard,” Collins said. “I just have to work hard and just focus on what I am running so that I don’t but too much pressure on myself.’’
Long Beach: Hotbed for U.S. High School Track
Collins along with Bryshon Nellum and Shana Woods from rival Long Beach Poly High will be among three athletes from Long Beach on the 34-member U.S. contingent for Marrakech.
Long Beach Wilson and Long Beach Poly, located less than 5000m apart in a city southeast of Los Angeles, have combined for the top 11 U.S. high school marks of all-time in the girls 4x400m relay.
One of Collins’ main rivals last year was Shalonda Solomon of Long Beach Poly, who won the 200m in the 2004 IAAF World Junior Championships and anchored the U.S. gold medal 400m relay.
Chasing National Record in 300m Hurdles
Collins’ ultimate priority in the next two seasons will be to break Long Beach Wilson’s alumnus Lashinda Demus’ national record of 39.98 in the 300m Hurdles. Demus and Collins rank first and second on the all-time U.S. list in the event.
Collins is reminded daily of her task with a U.S. singlet autographed by Demus in the gymnasium’s trophy case and the school record board.
Long Beach Wilson coach Terry Kennedy has coached both Demus and Collins in high school but sees more differences rather than similarities at the same stage of their careers.
Kennedy said Demus was physically stronger and taller than Collins, who stands 1.68m. But Collins has superior foot speed. Collins entered Wilson as primarily a 400m runner but Kennedy thought that she could also excel in the hurdles.
“I saw her fast turnover,” Kennedy said. “That’s what her body is built for. She could easily be the best quartermiler in the state. But her turnover had sprinter written all over it. But I didn’t know that she was going to go fast so quickly.’’
Kirby Lee for the IAAF
