Barbara Nwaba

Barbara Nwaba

Barbara Nwaba at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships
Personal information
Full name Barbara Udoezi Nwaba
Nationality American
Born (1989-01-18) January 18, 1989
Los Angeles, California, United States
Education University of California, Santa Barbara (B.A. 2012)
Occupation Track and field athlete
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Sport
College team UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Team Santa Barbara Track Club
Coached by Josh Priester[1]
Updated on 02:41, 30 June 2015 (UTC).

Barbara Udoezi Nwaba (born January 18, 1989) is an American track and field athlete who represents the Santa Barbara Track Club. Nwaba is known for the multi events, pentathlon and heptathlon. She is the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field champion in the heptathlon.

Early life and education

Nwaba was born January 18, 1989 in Los Angeles, California, to Nigerian parents Theodore & Blessing Nwaba. She is the oldest of 6 children. Her brother David is a basketball player at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo,[2] while sister Precious is a basketball player, volleyball player and hurdler who graduated from University High School in 2015.[3]

A 2007 graduate of University High School, Nwaba was the CIF Los Angeles City Section champion in the 300 meters hurdles in 2007[4] and a 4-time runner up and representative in the high jump to the CIF California State Meet, but was eliminated in the preliminary rounds.[5]

Nwaba attended the University of California, Santa Barbara on academic grounds, intending to study optometry,[6] ultimately graduating in 2012 with a degree in Sociology. After redshirting a season, she set the school records in the 100 meters hurdles, 400 meters hurdles (since surpassed), and was part of the record setting 4x400 meters relay team (also since surpassed). In the process, she also ranked in the top ten in most of the heptathlon events.[7]

Professional career

Continuing with the multi-event oriented Santa Barbara Track Club, Nwaba continued to make steady improvements. She was fifth at the 2012 Olympic Trials scoring 5986 points.[8][9]

Nwaba was an assistant coach at Santa Barbara High School in the 2012-13 school year.[10]

Barbara Nwaba is the 2014 American Hep silver medalist, trailing Sharon Day-Monroe by 163 points, scoring 6307 points.[11] She finished second to Day-Monroe at the 2014 Outdoor Championships in the heptathlon.

Barbara Nwaba is the 2015 American Champion, edging Sharon Day-Monroe by 42 points, scoring exactly 6500 points. She finished second to Day-Monroe at the 2015 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the pentathlon. Nwaba's total makes her the sixth-highest scoring heptathlon performer in United States history.[12]

At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, Nwaba misstepped the very first hurdle and then fell over the second.[13][14] [15][16][17] She continued in the competition despite the event costing her points. Ultimately, Nwaba completed the heptathlon and scored 5,315 points to place 27th.[18] In the process Nwaba recorded new personal bests in the javelin and shot put.[19]

References

External links

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