Jasmine Camacho-Quinn

Quinn excelled in her events as a Fort Dorchester athlete in high school. She broke numerous state records in addition to winning numerous state championships. After high school, she decided to celebrate her Puerto Rican background and was recognized on rosters as Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from then on. She continued to distinguish herself as an athlete for the University of Kentucky and finally went pro. During the South Carolina High School League Class AAAA Championship Meet, Quinn won four events and set two new state marks. The Fort senior set a new state record in the long jump with a leap of 20-02.25 and a new record in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles with a timing of 13.54. Her long jump result surpassed the state record that had not broken since 1982.

In the Rio Olympics 2016, she stumbled and was disqualified in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m hurdles. She quickly recovered and made a vow to not let her first Olympics define the rest of her life. She changed her story five years later at the delayed Tokyo 2020, which was held in 2021, with two of the most incredible races of her life. She tied for fourth fastest in history with an Olympic record time of 12.26 seconds during the semi-final and stormed into the finals. The hurdler eventually scripted history by clocking 12.37 secs in the final to become the first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field event.

The native of South Carolina, who opted to compete for Puerto Rico instead of the USA as it was her mother’s nation of origin, missed the 2019 World Championships due to injury. She then came back strongly in the next edition of the Worlds, by winning the bronze medal with a timing of 12.23 seconds, finishing behind Tobi Amusan (12.06 secs) and Britany Anderson (12.23 secs) in Oregon 2022.

Her greatest rival is Tobi Amusan, who is the reigning World Champion. The Nigerian athlete is also the current Commonwealth Games and African champion in the 100m hurdles.

Her parents are Mara Milagros Camacho, a Puerto Rican woman, and James Quinn, an African-American man. Her mother was a sprint runner and long jumper, while her father participated in hurdles at Baptist College (now Charleston Southern University) in South Carolina. Camacho-mother, Mara, is from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, making Jasmine eligible to represent Puerto Rico in international contests such as the Olympics. She has a brother named Robert Quinn, an NFL player. Jasmine graduated from Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston, South Carolina.