| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 December 1981 |
| Residence | Soquel, California |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 127 pounds (58 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Event(s) | 800 m |
| College/university team | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo Mustangs |
| Coached by | Rose Monday |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | 2009, 800 m, 7th in Semi-finals 2011, 800 m, 6th in finals |
| Personal best(s) | 800 m: 1:57.84 |
Maggie Vessey (born December 23, 1981) is an American athlete who competes in middle distance track events. Vessey represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships in the 800 m.
While competing for Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Vessey was the Big West Conference 800 m champion twice. She finished second in the 800 m at the 2005 NCAA championships.[1]
At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Vessey finished 5th in the 800 m, with a time of 2:02.01.[1] In June 2009, Vessey was a surprise winner at the Prefontaine Classic, in 2:00.18. The race director said Vessey "was a last-minute, last-minute add. One step above a field-filler". The competition included Olympic gold medalist Pamela Jelimo.[2]
Vessey continued her impressive results in 2009. At the Herculis meet in Monaco, she won the race with a time of 1:57.84. At the time, this was the fastest 800 m performance for the year, and tied for the seventh fastest by an American runner. This result earned Vessey a place on the US 2009 World Championship team—she finished 4th at the 2009 U.S. Championships, and needed to break 2:00 to earn an "A" standard.[3][4]
At the 2009 World Championships, Vessey finished seventh in the 800 m semifinal with a time of 2:03.55. At the 2011 World Championships, Vessey finished sixth in the 800 with a time of 1:58.50.[5]
In 2011, masters runner Rose Monday became Vessey's coach.[6] She qualified for the finals of the 800 m at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, where she finished sixth.[7] A week later, Vessey won the 800 m at the Hanžeković Memorial as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings.[8]