STANFORD, Calif. – Two Stanford athletes – rising sophomore Udodi Onwuzurike and rising junior Ky Robinson – will compete at the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships and Commonwealth Games this summer.
At the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on July 15-24, Onwuzurike will run the 100, 200, and 4x100 meters for Nigeria and Robinson will run the 5,000 for Australia. At the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on July 28-August 8, Robinson also will run the 10,000.
Onwuzurike qualified for Worlds by reaching the entry standards in both the 100 and 200. His best times of 10.03 and 20.08 shattered Stanford records. At the Nigerian championships in Benin City last week, Onwuzurike anchored the national 4x100 team to a time of 38.35, earning the 16th and final spot in the World Championships field.
Onwuzurike, 19, was the Pac-12 runner-up in both the 100 and 200. He advanced to the NCAA outdoor final in the 200, placing third, giving Stanford its highest finish in that event since 1963.
Robinson, 20, qualified because of his spot of No. 53 in the world rankings. The field is 42 and Robinson, whose best time of 13:20.17 earned him second at the NCAA Indoor Championships, was slotted in the No. 41 spot as the field was confirmed. He took fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5,000 and also has a 10,000 best of 27:47.11 from the Payton Jordan Invitational.
The number of Stanford alumni competing in Eugene has grown to eight with the additions of Australians Steven Solomon (men's 400), who qualified through his world ranking, and Mackenzie Little (women's javelin), who qualified by winning the Oceania championships on June 7.
Others alums competing are Greece's Katerina Stefanidi (women's pole vault), the 2016 Olympic and 2017 World champion in the women's pole vault.
Valarie Allman, the reigning Olympic women's discus champion, advanced automatically as a Wild Card for winning the 2021 Diamond League season title.
Elise Cranny and Grant Fisher, won the women's and men's 5,000, respectively at the U.S. Championships last week. Cranny also met the entry standard in the 10,000, and Fisher and Sean McGorty also qualified in the 10,000, finishing second and third at nationals.
Sara Bei Hall earned her spot in the marathon by meeting the entry standard, specifically her 2:20:32 in Chandler, Arizona, on December 20, 2020.
In addition, Dena Dey Evans '96 will serve as an assistant men's distance coach for the U.S. team.
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Here is the complete list of Stanford athletes competing at Worlds, with Stanford class:
Men
Grant Fisher '19 (U.S.): 5,000, 10,000.
Sean McGorty '17 (U.S.): 10,000.
Udodi Onwuzurike '25 (Nigeria): 100, 200, 4x100.
Ky Robinson '24 (Australia): 5,000.
Steven Solomon '16 (Australia): 400.
Women
Valarie Allman '17 (U.S.): Discus.
Sara Bei Hall '05 (U.S.): Marathon.
Elise Cranny '18 (U.S.): 5,000, 10,000.
Mackenzie Little '19 (Australia): Javelin.
Katerina Stefanidi '12 (Greece): Pole vault.
