Rowbury in 2008. |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 September 1984 San Francisco, California |
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| Residence | San Francisco, California | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 115 pounds (52 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | ||||||||||||||||||
| College/university team | Duke Blue Devils of Duke University | ||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) |
800m: 2:00.47 |
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Medal record
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Shannon Rowbury (born September 19, 1984) is an American middle distance runner under contract with Nike currently residing in San Francisco, California. Rowbury competed for the United States in the women's 1500 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.[1] She won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in the 1500 m.[2]
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Rowbury grew up in the Parkside section of the Sunset District neighborhood in San Francisco. In 2002, Rowbury graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco. Rowbury attended Duke University and studied English and Theater, and competed on the cross country and track and field teams for the school. In 2007, Rowbury graduated from Duke magna cum laude in English and Theater Studies with a certificate in Film/Video/Digital Studies. She completed her master's degree at Duke in May 2008, with an emphasis on Film and Women's Studies.[3] In April 2007, Rowbury was diagnosed with a femoral neck stress fracture (hip joint), which abruptly put an end to her collegiate career at Duke University.[4]
Rowbury set a school record for the mile in the indoor track season as a freshman at Duke. In her sophomore year she earned indoor All-American status, finishing in 8th place at the NCAA championships in the mile. In her junior year season she anchored Duke's first victorious distance medley relay team. As a senior she helped Duke place third at the NCAA cross country championships. She redshirted her indoor and outdoor seasons of her senior year, but set Duke school records in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and steeplechase.[5]
Rowbury signed with Nike in June 2007. Her first six months of training under John Cook involved rehabilitation from her stress fracture. In November 2007, Shannon competed at the Seagate Elite 5K Road Race in San Jose, California to assess her current fitness level coming back from her injury. She managed a 2nd place finish, with a time of 15:54, missing first place by 1 second.
In January 2008, Rowbury enjoyed her first extended stint at altitude in Central Mexico where she endured 6 weeks of extensive training with her coach and teammates. She returned to the United States in February to compete in the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, her first track race since her injury 11 months earlier. Shannon went on to win the 3000 m in a personal best time of 8:55.19, beating a national class field in dominant fashion. After this effort, Shannon returned to altitude to finish up her training. In April 2008, Shannon opened up her outdoor track campaign at the Duke Invitational, winning the 800 m by 12 seconds with a 2 second personal best time of 2:02.76.
Her next race was in early May at the Payton Jordon Invitational at Stanford University where she hoped to achieve the Olympic A standard at 1500 m (4:07.00). Although Rowbury came up short of her goal while racing at Stanford, she did manage a 5 second personal best at this distance with a time of 4:07.59.
Still seeking the Olympic A Standard, Rowbury raced at the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, California on May 18, 2008. In the 1500 m, she won with a time of 4:01.61, improving another 6 seconds over her previous personal best. This performance catapulted Rowbury onto the international scene as it placed her 5th all-time at 1500 m for United States females. In addition, her effort would have placed her 9th in the world rankings based on the 2007 IAAF world performance list. This performance gave her the Olympic A standard that she needed heading into the USATF Olympic Trials.
On July 6, 2008 at the USATF Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Rowbury placed first in the 1500 m final with a time of 4:05.48 followed by Erin Donohue and Christin Wurth-Thomas. The three qualified to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics based on their performance at the trials.[6]
Rowbury had the fourth-fastest time in the first-round heats of the women's 1500 m run in Beijing, qualifying for the finals.[7] She was the only American athlete to advance to the finals in which she placed seventh with a time of 4:03.58. This seventh-place finish was the best finish ever by an American woman in the 1500 meters at the modern Olympics.[8]
Rowbury retained her 1500 m title at the US Championships, beating Christin Wurth-Thomas and qualifying for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.[9] At the 2009 World Championships, in Berlin, Rowbury captured the bronze medal, in a time of 4:04.18.[10] A month later she won her first Fifth Avenue Mile, narrowly edging out Lisa Dobriskey, Sara Hall and Wurth-Thomas.[11]
On July 22, 2010, Rowbury improved her personal best in the 3000 m by 23 seconds with a time of 8:31.38, which is the third-best mark in U.S. history.[12][13]
Rowbury won the 2010 edition of the Fifth Avenue Mile on September 26, 2010.[14]
| Event | Time | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 m (outdoor) | 2:00.47 | Eugene | July 3, 2010 |
| 1500 m (outdoor) | 4:00.33 | Paris | July 18, 2008 |
| Mile run (outdoor) | 4:20.34 | Rieti | September 7, 2008 |
| 3000 m (outdoor) | 8:31.38 | Fontvieille | July 22, 2010 |
| 5000 m (outdoor) | 15:00.51 | Palo Alto | May 1, 2010 |
| 1500 m (indoor) | 4:19.48 | Albuquerque | February 28, 2010 |
| Mile run (indoor) | 4:34.14 | Albuquerque | January 16, 2010 |
| 3000 m (indoor) | 8:47.18 | Boston | February 6, 2010 |
Last updated July 22, 2010.