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Tayleb Willis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tayleb Willis
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (2003-03-18) 18 March 2003 (age 21)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventHurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100m hurdles: 13.56 (Suva, 2024)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  AUS
Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Suva 100m hurdles

Tayleb Willis (born 18 March 2003) is an Australian hurdler. In 2024 he became Oceania champion in the 110m hurdles.[1]

Career

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He was ranked first in the world in 2020 for the U18 110m Hurdles.[2] He placed fifth in the 110m hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.[3]

After finishing fourth at the 2022-2023 Australian Athletics Championships he began to be trained and mentored by Kyle Vander-Kuyp, Sam Leslie and John Steffensen.[4]

He was runner-up at the 2024 Australian Athletics Championships, finishing in a time of 13.62 seconds.[5] He won gold at the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships in Suva, Fiji with a personal best time of 13.56 seconds.[6] In July 2024, he was selected for the 2024 Paris Olympics.[7]

Personal life

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From Melbourne, he is one of four children born to his mother Christine. As a youngster he tried swimming, karate, ballet and gymnastics before focusing on athletics. He was also in youth academy of Australian Rules Football team Hawthorn. He has Ghanaian heritage.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Tayleb Willis". World Athletics. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. ^ "On Oceania Welcomes Tayleb Willis". Runnerstribe. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  3. ^ "ONE YEAR, BIG CHANGES - THE RISE OF TAYLEB WILLIS". Athletics.com.au. 21 Jun 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b Snape, Jack (29 June 2024). "Tayleb Willis: the Australian seeking recognition as an Olympic athlete, not a social media star". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Australia Athletics Championships 2024: Full list of medal winners". Olympics.com. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Little dominates javelin as championship records tumble at Oceania Championships". World Athletics. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  7. ^ Adams, Tim (July 8, 2024). "Australia take second largest ever team to Paris Olympics". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 9 July 2024.