18 Athletes Associated with UF Ready to Compete in 2023 World Championships
Current and former Gators as well as athletes who train in Gainesville will represent their home countries in the eight-day event in Budapest.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - After being held in Eugene, Oregon in 2022, the World Athletics Championships move back to an international venue as athletes from all over the world travel to Budapest, Hungary.
Nearly 2,000 competitors from over 200 countries will converge on the National Athletics Centre for the 19th edition of the World Championships. Events begin on Saturday, August 19th and conclude on Sunday, August 27th.
Of the couple thousand athletes, Florida is sending a total of thirteen Gators representing six different countries. The group is comprised of five Gators from the current roster and eight former Gators.
Despite all competing for the University of Florida during their collegiate careers, each of the athletes will represent their home country during competition.
The five current Gators include Talitha Diggs, Jasmine Moore, Jevaughn Powell, Alida van Daalen and Ryan Willie while Will Claye, Marquis Dendy, Joseph Fahnbulleh, Anna Hall, Grant Holloway, Thomas Mardal, Cory McGee, and Hakim Sani Brown make up the former Gators.
The athletes that train in Gainesville comprise of Trevor Bassitt, Quanesha Burks, Quincy Hall, Erriyon Knighton, and Donald Scott.
ATHLETES REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES
Trevor Bassitt
Quanesha Burks
Will Claye
Marquis Dendy
Talitha Diggs
Anna Hall
Quincy Hall
Grant Holloway
Erriyon Knighton
Cory McGee
Jasmine Moore
Donald Scott
Ryan Willie ATHLETES REPRESENTING OTHER COUNTRIES
Joseph Fahnbulleh (Liberia)
Thomas Mardal (Norway)
Jevaughn Powell (Jamaica)
Hakim Sani Brown (Japan)
Alida van Daalen (Netherlands)
MEET THE GATORS Will Claye (USA): Triple Jump
Claye qualified for his seventh-consecutive World Championships after securing a silver medal at USA Championships with a jump of 16.98m (55'8.50"). In 2022 Claye qualified for the finals and finished 11th. He earned a silver medal in Doha in 2019 which stands as just one of nine medals across his career at the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Indoor Championships.
During his one year in Gainesville, the Phoenix, Arizona native was the 2011 NCAA Triple Jump Indoor Champion, a two-time SEC Champion, a four-time all-American, was named USTFCCCA National Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and SEC Outdoor Men's Athlete of the Year. Competing in both the triple and long jump, Claye respectively earned a silver and bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He earned another silver at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Marquis Dendy (USA): Long Jump
Dendy is on his way to the World Athletics Championships for the second year in a row and fifth time in his career. He made his first appearance since 2017 in 2022 competing in the men's long jump. He recorded his best-ever finish at a World Outdoor Championships in 2022, jumping 8.02m and finishing sixth. In 2023 Dendy heads to Budapest as the U.S. Champion in the men's long jump after leaping 8.14m (26'8.5") at USA Championships in July.
During his time at Florida (2012-2015) Dendy accumulated quite the list of accolades. He is the 2015 Bowerman winner, a four-time NCAA Division I Outdoor National Champion, a three-time NCAA Division I Indoor Champion, a seven-time USTFCCCA Outdoor All-American, a six-time USTFCCCA Indoor All-American and seven-time SEC Champion.
Talitha Diggs (USA): 400m & 4x400m
Diggs will compete in both the 400m and 4x400m at World Championships for the second year in a row. Diggs claimed a hard-fought spot in this years World Championships after finishing third in the women's 400m at USA Championships. Diggs, who is Florida's 400m record holder punched her ticket by running a new personal best of 49.93 in Eugene, Oregon. She looks to help defend the gold medal that the 4x400m team claimed in 2022.
In addition to being a World Champion, during her time at Florida Diggs is a two-time SEC Champion, two-time NCAA Champion and USATF Champion. She is also an eleven-time all-American, eight-time all-SEC honoree, and holds four Florida event records (indoor 200m, indoor 400m, outdoor 400m, and indoor 4x400m).
Joseph Fahnbulleh (Liberia): 200m
After finishing fourth in the 200m at 2022 World Championships and being ranked as the eighth best 200m runner in the world, Fahnbulleh qualified for the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Fahnbulleh was a member of the Gators from 2020-2022. During his three years with the program he earned four NCAA Championships and seven all-American honors. However, his most impressive feat is competing in and finishing fifth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. His time of 19.98 in the 200m set a new Liberian national record and was the first athlete representing Liberia to make it to the Olympic finals.
Anna Hall (USA): Heptathlon
Hall, who won bronze in the World Championships heptathlon in 2022, returns back to the world stage after crowning herself the USA Champion for the second year in a row in the event. She tallied 6677 points to earn the back-to-back first place finish.
As is the case with the other Florida athletes competing at World Championships, the Colorado native has quite the resume. After transferring from the University of Georgia prior to the 2022 season, Hall claimed an SEC and two NCAA gold medals in her one season with the program. In the same season, she earned three all-American honors and two all-SEC honors. For her incredible 2022 campaign, she was named USTFCCCA Outdoor National Women's Field Athlete of the Year.
Grant Holloway (USA): 110m Hurdles
Holloway earned an automatic birth to the 2023 World Championships after winning the 110m hurdles at 2022 World Championships. Despite the trip to Budapest already in hand, he competed in USA Championships in July placing first in his opening heat with a time of 13.07 and finishing third in the semifinal heat at 13.10.
Holloway's career at Florida was legendary. He is a 2019 IAAF World Champion (110m hurdles), an eight-time NCAA Champion, a six-time SEC Champion and holds three colligate records (110m hurdles, 60m hurdles, 4x100 relay). Additionally, Holloway was named a Bowerman finalist two times (2018 and 2019), won the Bowerman in 2019, and was named 2018-2019 SEC Male Athlete of the Year.
Thomas Mardal (Norway): Hammer Throw
Mardal heads to his second consecutive World Championships after being ranked 11th in the current world rankings for men's hammer throw. The Gloppen, Norway native will represent his home country in 2023.
While competing with the Gators from 2018-2021, Mardal was a four-time SEC Champion and two-time NCAA Champion and earned six all-American honors. He currently holds the school record in both the weight and hammer throw which were both set in his senior season at NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
Cory McGee (USA): 1500m
McGee qualified for World Championships after earning a bronze medal at USA Championships in the women's 1500m, just a year after finishing second in the event, as she crossed the finish line 4:03.48. McGee has now advanced to her third-career World Championships.
In McGee's senior season she was the SEC Champion in the 3000m and DMR during the indoor season and 1500m during the outdoor season. She also recorded a runner-up finish at NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 1500m. Other accolades McGee accumulated include 2014 SEC Indoor Co-Women's Runner of the Year, 2014 USTFCCCA Indoor South Region Women's Athlete of the Year and ten NCAA Division I all-American honors.
Jasmine Moore (USA): Long Jump & Triple Jump
Last year, Moore made history by qualifying for World Championships in both the long jump and triple jump. She became the first American woman in history to qualify to the same World Championships in both of the horizontal events. Now she has accomplished the same impressive feat in back-to-back years as she placed third in both the long and triple jump at USA Championships.
In her two seasons with the Gators, Moore is an eight-time SEC Champion and seven-time NCAA Champion. Moore has won seven of the last eight horizontal titles at SEC and NCAA meets and four straight triple jump titles. She totaled eight first team all-American honors, eight all-SEC first-team honors and holds the Florida record in both indoor and outdoor long jump and triple jump. Additionally, she was named 2023 USTFCCCA Indoor and Outdoor South Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year and has been named a finalist for the 2023 Bowerman.
Jevaughn Powell (Jamaica): 4x400m and Mix 4x400m
Powell returns to World Championships as a member of Jamaica's 4x400m relay team for the second year in a row. He and the Jamaican relay team placed second in the event in 2022. Powell is ranked as the 60th best 400m runner according to World Ranking.
Powell transferred from UTEP prior to the 2022-2023 season. During his first season with the Gators Powell was an SEC and NCAA Outdoor Champion in the 4x400, was a three time all-American and helped the Men's program capture the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championship.
Hakim Sani Brown (Japan): 100m and 4x100m
After becoming the first Japanese athlete to reach the 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in 2022, Hakim Sani Brown returns back to the world stage in the same event. He will also participate in Japan's 4x100m relay team.
Hakim Sani Brown left quite the reputation in his two years with the Florida Gators. He ran the second leg for Florida's 2019 NCAA title-winning 4x100 relay team, was a one-time SEC Champion, was a two-time NCAA Outdoor Championships bronze medalist and three-time USTFCCCA first-team all-American.
Alida van Daalen (Netherlands): Shot Put
After her first year at Florida and a summer of competing in Europe, van Daalen qualified for World Championships in the women's shot put after finishing third at Dutch Nationals in the event. This will be van Daalen's first trip to the World Championships.
The Netherlands native has had an impressive first year with the Gators as she has already tallied two SEC Championships, three all-American honors and holds the Gator all-time record in both indoor shot put and outdoor discus throw. Additionally, she was named the 2023 SEC Women's Indoor and Outdoor Freshman Field Athlete of the Year.
Ryan Willie (USA): 4x400m and Mix 4x400m
Willie qualified for the World Championships relay pool by running a 44.87 in the men's 400m at USA Championships.
Willie is a three-time SEC Outdoor Champion and two-time NCAA Outdoor Champion, has earned eleven USTFCCCA first-team all-American honors, and was the anchor of the 4x400 NCAA Outdoor Champion relay that secured the Men's 2023 NCAA Championship. For his efforts in 2023 Willie was named 2023 SEC Outdoor Men's Runner of the Year.
COACHES
Coach Mike Holloway, Mellanee Welty, Nic Petersen and Eric Werskey are traveling to Budapest to coach the group of athletes.
LAST TIME OUT
At least one Florida athlete has claimed a Gold Medal at eight-consecutive World Championships, dating back to Osaka in 2007.
As seen above, eleven of the thirteen Gators competing participated in World Championships last year. In 2022, the Gators earned three gold medals, the most in a single year since 2015.
2023 WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS INFORMATION & DETAILS
Location/Venue Budapest, Hungary / National Athletics Centre Dates August 19th - August 27th Watch NBC Coverage
(Special to 1st & Ten Florida by Florida Athletics)