RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Four former and current Fighting Illini Women's Track & Field athletes will represent the University of Illinois and their respective countries as they compete in the XXXI Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Former Illini Ashley Kelley will compete in the 200m dash, beginning on August 15, while Illinois alums Susanna Kallur and Nikkita Holder will join current Illini Pedrya Seymour in the 100m hurdles, which begins August 16.
Pedrya Seymour // Bahamas // 100m hurdles
Round 1: Aug. 16 @ 9:05 a.m. CT // SF: Aug. 17 @ 6:45 p.m. CT // Final: Aug. 17 @ 8:55 p.m. CT
The 2016 collegiate season proved to be a breakout campaign for the Nassau, Bahamas native as burst onto the national scene with All-American finishes during both the indoor and outdoor season. Indoors, Seymour led the Illini in the 60m hurdles, placing third at Big Ten Championships and earning a spot on the Bahamian Indoor World Championships squad.
Outdoors, Seymour competed in the 100m hurdles for the first time in her career on April 8, clocking 13.50. Over the next two months, Seymour continued to shed tenths off of that time on her way to breaking the Bahamian national record and moving into third-place on Illinois' all-time list behind Olympians Perdita Felicien and Susanna Kallur. In postseason competition, Seymour shined the brightest, earning a silver medal at Big Ten Championships, clocking the fastest time NCAA Prelims and earning her First Team All-American honors in June at NCAA Championships with a time of 12.86.
Since leaving campus to train in the Bahamas, Seymour has lowered her personal-record time in the event down to 12.83, placing second at the NACAC U-23 Championships.
Susanna Kallur // Sweden // 100m hurdles
Round 1: Aug. 16 @ 9:05 a.m. CT // SF: Aug. 17 @ 6:45 p.m. CT // Final: Aug. 17 @ 8:55 p.m. CT
Already a two-time Olympian and five-time European Championships gold medalist, Kallur has overcome the odds in her pursuit of a third Olympic appearance. After battling back from a career-threatening shin injury in 2012, the former Illini returned to the event this summer after not competing in the 100m hurdles in the past six years.
After making her Olympic debut in 2004, Kallur had her best Olympic competition in 2008 where she advanced to the semifinal round in Beijing. However, her bid for the final was cur short after falling at the first hurdle of her semifinal heat.
At Illinois, Kallur was named the 2001 Big Ten Outdoor Freshman of the Year and earned her first All-America honor in the 100m hurdles. Kallur followed her freshman campaign up with two more All-American honors as a sophomore, placing third in both the 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles. At Drake Relays that year, Kallur ran the lead leg for the Illini shuttle hurdle relay that set the world record with a time of 52.85.
Nikkita Holder // Canada // 100m hurdles
Round 1: Aug. 16 @ 9:05 a.m. CT // SF: Aug. 17 @ 6:45 p.m. CT // Final: Aug. 17 @ 8:55 p.m. CT
Holder will be making her second appearance at the Olympics after she placed runner-up at Canadian Olympic Trials. After clocking the top time in prelims, Holder returned for the final and placed runner-up with a time of 13.94.
At the 2012 London Games, Holder advanced to the semifinal round of competition, where she posted a time of 12.93 to place sixth in her heat.
Owning a personal-best time of 12.80, set in 2012, Holder enters the Olympics after earning a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in 2015, timing a season-best 12.85 in the event.
At Illinois, Holder competed in both the 60m- and 100m- hurdles as well as contributing in the 100m dash. Holder compiled two NCAA Mideast Regional Championship appearances and placed fourth in the hurdles at 2007 Big Ten Outdoor Championships.
Ashley Kelly // British Virgin Islands // 200m
Round 1: Aug. 15 @ 9:05 a.m. CT // SF: Aug. 16 @ 6:45 p.m. CT // Final: Aug. 16 @ 8:55 p.m. CT
A 2012 graduate of the University of Illinois, Kelly will be making her Olympic debut as she represents the Virgin Islands in the 200m dash. Kelly qualified for the Olympics by clocking a 23.17 mark this summer that set a personal-record and ranks second on the Virgin Island's all-time list.
While at Illinois, Kelly totaled two All-American finishes and three Big Ten titles between the 4x400m and 400m dash, while also competing in the 200m. In 2011, Kelly set a school record in the 400m, clocking 53.59 at the Meyo Invite, and went on to win the Big Ten title in the event later in the season. That spring, Kelly again excelled in the 400m with her first individual qualification for NCAA Championships, placing eighth to finish as a First Team All-American. She concluded her individual Illini career with top-five finishes in both the 200m and 400m at both the Big Ten indoor and outdoor meets.
Originally from Tortola, British Virgin Islands, Kelly set multiple records while in high school. In the spring of 2008, she set the national 400m record at the DeKalb International Prep Classic. As a member of the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams, she helped set BVI national youth records her junior and senior years.
NBC Sports Network will broadcast 330 hours of Olympic coverage of more than 20 sports and will be broadcasted live across NBC's family of networks, as well as streaming live on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports app.
