The University of Florida graduate already holds the fifth-highest score in heptathlon history and the second-highest score among active athletes, behind two-time Olympic champion Nafi Thiam of Belgium.
Hall won an astounding 6,988 points at the famous hypo meet in Götzis, Austria, in May 2023. Thiam, 29, boasts a personal best of 7,013 points and is one of only four women to have broken the 7,000-point barrier. Jackie Joyner-Kersee's world record of 7,291 points set at the 1988 Seoul Olympics remains the ultimate benchmark.
But Hall will need to finish in the top three in the field in Eugene on June 23-24 before taking on Thiam in what could become an epic showdown at the Stade de France in Paris on August 8-9.
Leading U.S. heptathletes who could pose a threat to Hall include veterans Chari Hawkins (33, world rank 12), Michelle Atherley (28, world rank 14), Taliyah Brooks (29, world rank 16) and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Annie Kunz (31).
Rising stars Jaydyn O'Brien, 22, Allie Jones, 23, and Timara Chapman, 24, all have the potential to compete for a coveted top three spot and a ticket to Paris.
Inspired by Jackie Joyner
Carthy
Hall and track and field legend Joyner-Kersee are the only two American heptathletes to win multiple medals at World Championships, with Joyner-Kersee also taking home two heptathlon gold medals, at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
The 23-year-old Hall is clearly happy with the comparisons between herself and Joyner-Kersee, who the up-and-coming athlete frequently consulted with and received advice and extra motivation from before winning silver at last summer's world championships in Budapest.
“It means a lot to be mentioned in the same sentence as her. I don't deserve it and I'm not there yet so it kind of humbles me every time you guys do that,” Hall said, referring to the media.
“I'm really grateful to her. She's always encouraging and supporting me,” Hall says of the 62-year-old heptathlon star.
No American woman has won the heptathlon at an Olympic Games since Joyner-Kersee's consecutive victories in 1988 and 1992, and the only other woman to medal in the event was Hylia Fountain, who won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A self-described ultra-perfectionist, Hall looks poised to shine on the track at the Stade de France in Paris and end America's 16-year Olympic medal drought.
First, she needs to run a clean run in the nasty 100-meter hurdles and perform well next week at Oregon.
