Courtney Okolo

Courtney Okolo (born March 15, 1994) is an American track and field sprinter who usually competes in the 400 metres. She starred at Carrollton (Texas) Newman Smith High School where she won multiple individual state championships.

Courtney Okolo

Okolo in 2017
Personal information
Born	(1994-03-15) March 15, 1994 (age 31) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height	5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight	130 lb (59 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event	400 metres
Medal record Women's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4 × 400 m relay World Championships 2019 Doha 4 × 400 m relay 2019 Doha 4 × 400 m mixed World Indoor Championships 2016 Portland 4 × 400 m relay 2018 Birmingham 400 m 2018 Birmingham 4 × 400 m relay World Relays 2025 Guangzhou 4 × 400 m mixed Pan American Games 2019 Lima 4 × 400 m relay 2019 Lima 400 m NACAC Championships 2018 Toronto 4 × 400 m relay Pan American Junior Championships 2013 Medellín 4 × 400 m relay 2013 Medellín 400 m

Career

In college, she ran for the Texas Longhorns.^[1] She was fourth in the 400 m at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and then the following year she completed an individual and relay double at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She set a collegiate record in the 400 m that year when winning the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in 50.03 seconds.^[2] In April 2016, she broke her own collegiate record, running 49.71 seconds at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet. Okolo won consecutive titles in the women's 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2016 Okolo won 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay titles in both the Indoor and 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. After the season ended, she was awarded the Bowerman Award.^[3] She also won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best female track and field competitor in 2016.^[4][5]

Internationally she won both individual and relay events for the United States at the 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships and the 2015 NACAC Championships in Athletics. More gold came in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships^[6] and 2016 Olympic Games.^[7]

Personal life

Okolo is of Nigerian descent through both her parents.^[8]

Personal records

• 200-meter dash – 22.93 (2015)
• 400-meter dash – 49.71 (2016)

International competitions

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2013	Pan American Junior Championships	Medellín, Colombia	1st	400 m	52.19
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:36.48
2015	NACAC Championships	San José, Costa Rica	1st	400 m	51.57
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:25.39
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:26.38
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:19.06
2017	DécaNation	Angers, France	1st	200 m	23.41
			1st	400 m	51.96
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	400 m	50.55
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:23.85
	NACAC Championships	Toronto, Canada	4th	400 m	52.21
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:26.08
2019	World Relays	Yokohama, Japan	2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:27.65
	Pan American Games	Lima, Peru	3rd	400 m	51.22
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:26.46
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	1st (h)	4 × 400 m relay	3:22.96
2025	World Relays	Guangzhou, China	1st	4 × 400 m mixed	3:09.54

National titles

• NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships
  • 400 m: 2014, 2016
  • 4 × 400 m relay: 2014, 2016
• NCAA Division I Indoor Championships
  • 400 m: 2015, 2016
  • 4 × 400 m relay: 2015, 2016