Marlena Wesh
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Marlena Hilari Wesh |
| Born |
February 16, 1991 Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 140 lb (63.50 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country |
 Haiti and  United States of America |
| Sport | Running |
| Event(s) | 200 m, 400 m |
| Updated on 29 December 2014. | |
Marlena Hilari Wesh (born February 16, 1991) is a Haitian-American sprinter competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics for Haiti in the women's 200-meter and 400-meter sprints.[1]
Biography
She was born and raised in Virginia,[1] but is eligible to compete for Haiti because both her parents were born and raised there. She has never been to Haiti though she is a citizen there also.[2][3][4] Four of the five athletes representing Haiti at the 2012 Olympics are not from Haiti. Wesh says, "I still feel Haitian even if I wasn't born there".[5]
After graduating from Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2009, She enrolled at Oklahoma, where she was given a full scholarship, but later she transferred and she enrolled at Clemson University in South Carolina and should graduate in 2013. She is majoring in psychology.[1][4] She won the 400-meter sprint for Clemson in April 2012 at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Outdoor championships with a time of 51.43 seconds, which was a meet record and her 4th consecutive 400-meter ACC championship.[4] It is a current American college record and 17th best in the world.[2] This time made her eligible to compete in the Olympics for both Haiti and America. She is the only one of her parents' five children that considers themselves Haitian-American.[3] Haitian Olympic hurdler Nadine Faustin-Parker encouraged her to run for Haiti. She earned All-American designation in March 2012 in a Division I championship at Boise State University in Idaho.[6] In early July 2012, just prior to the London Olympics, Wesh ran her personal best in the 400-meters with a time of 51.23, just 0.03 seconds behind the first-place finisher.[7] On Friday, August 3, she achieved her goal of making it to the 400-meter semi-finals in the 2012 London Olympics, having come in third in her heat.[3][8] On Saturday, August 4, she failed to make it to the finals, placing 8th in her heat and 19th overall, with a time of 52:49.[9]
Wesh's brother Darrell could also have run for Haiti in the 2012 Olympics but chose to try to make the American team. He is a student at Virginia Tech.[3] Eventually, he also started competing for Haiti.
Personal bests
| Event | Result | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor | |||
| 100 m | 11.70 s (wind: +0.7 m/s) | Coral Gables, Florida | 19 Mar 2011 |
| 200 m | 23.06 s (wind: -0.3 m/s) | Charlottesville, Virginia | 21 Apr 2012 |
| 400 m | 51.23 s A |  Irapuato | 7 Jul 2012 |
| 400 m hurdles | 57.49 s | Austin, Texas | 7 Apr 2011 |
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Haiti | |||||
| 2011 | Central American and Caribbean Championships | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 13th (h) | 200 m | 24.08 (wind: -0.1 m/s) |
| 8th | 400 m | 54.49 | |||
| 2012 | NACAC Under-23 Championships | Irapuato, México | 2nd | 400 m | 51.23 A |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 8th (sf) | 400 m | 52.49 | |
| 2014 | Central American and Caribbean Games | Xalapa, México | 8th (h) | 100m | 12.80 A (wind: -0.4 m/s) |
References
- 1 2 3 "Marlena Wesh". London 2012 Olympics. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- 1 2 Rubama, Larry (May 21, 2012). "Ex-Landstown sprinter Wesh going to Olympics". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Rubama, Larry (July 15, 2012). "Olympics Former Landstown track star runs for Haiti". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- 1 2 3 "Clemson Track & Field" (PDF). CBS Sports. June 9, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ↑ Daniel, Trenton (July 22, 2012). "Haiti's Olympic team in London isn't very Haitian". WALB News. Associated Press. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ↑ Rubama, Larry (March 12, 2012). "Local track athletes do well at national meets". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ↑ Rubama, Larry (July 9, 2012). "Local runners do well at NACAC track meet". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ↑ "Haiti's Marlena Wesh Advances to Semi-Finals in Olympic 400m Competition". Defend Haiti. August 3, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ↑ Rubama, Larry (August 4, 2012). "Wesh doesn't advance to finals of Olympic 400 meters". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved August 4, 2012.