Courtney Okolo

{{Short description|American sprinter (born 1994)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Courtney Okolo

| image = IAAF World Challenge - Meeting Madrid 2017 - 170714 204920-2.jpg

| caption = Okolo in 2017

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|3|15}}

| birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S.

| height = 5 ft 8 in

| weight = 130 lbs

| country = United States

| sport = Track and field

| event = 400 metres

| club =

| show-medals = no

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalOlympic}}

{{MedalGold|2016 Rio de Janeiro|4×400 m relay}}

{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}

{{MedalGold|2019 Doha|4×400 m relay}}

{{MedalGold|2019 Doha|4×400 m mixed}}

{{Medal|Competition|World Indoor Championships}}

{{Medal|Gold|2016 Portland|4×400 m relay}}

{{Medal|Gold|2018 Birmingham|400 m}}

{{Medal|Gold|2018 Birmingham|4×400 m relay}}

{{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games}}

{{MedalGold|2019 Lima|4×400 m relay}}

{{MedalBronze|2019 Lima|400 m}}

{{MedalCompetition|NACAC Championships}}

{{MedalGold|2018 Toronto | 4×400 m relay}}

{{MedalCompetition|Pan American Junior Championships}}

{{MedalGold|2013 Medellín|4×400 m relay}}

{{MedalGold|2013 Medellín|400 m}}

}}

Courtney Okolo (born March 15, 1994) is an American track and field sprinter who usually competes in the 400 metres. She starred at Carrollton (Texas) Newman Smith High School where she won multiple individual state championships.

In college, she ran for the Texas Longhorns.{{cite web|url=http://www.hookem.com/2016/02/09/texas-sprinter-courtney-okolo-honored-by-ustfccca/ |title=Texas sprinter Courtney Okolo honored by USTFCCCA |publisher=Hookem.com |date=February 9, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016}} She was fourth in the 400 m at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and then the following year she completed an individual and relay double at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She set a collegiate record in the 400 m that year when winning the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in 50.03 seconds.{{cite web|url=http://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/05/courtney-okolo-texas-sophomore-sets-new-ncaa-400-record-50-03-big-12-meet/ |title=Courtney Okolo, Texas Sophomore, Sets New NCAA 400 Record of 50.03 at Big 12 Meet |date=May 19, 2014 |publisher=LetsRun.com |access-date=March 20, 2016}} In April 2016, she broke her own collegiate record, running 49.71 seconds at the LSU Alumni Gold Meet. Okolo won consecutive titles in the women's 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2016 Okolo won 400m and 4 × 400 m relay titles in both the Indoor and 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. After the season ended, she was awarded the Bowerman Award.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ustfccca.org/2016/12/featured/courtney-okolo-wins-the-bowerman-award|title=Courtney Okolo Wins The Bowerman Award ::: The Bowerman: The Nation's Top Award for Collegiate Track & Field Athletes|website=The Bowerman|access-date=March 9, 2017}} She also won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best female track and field competitor in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ustfccca.org/2016/06/featured/texas-courtney-okolo-named-honda-award-winner-for-track-field|title=Texas' Courtney Okolo Named Honda Award Winner For Track & Field ::: USTFCCCA|access-date=2020-03-26}}{{Cite journal|url=https://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/releases/2015-16/061616okolo|title=Okolo From the University of Texas Named the Honda Sport Award Winner for Track & Field|date=2016-06-16|website=CWSA|access-date=2020-03-31}}

Internationally she won both individual and relay events for the United States at the 2013 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships and the 2015 NACAC Championships in Athletics. More gold came in the 4 × 400 m relay at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships{{cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2016/03/american_womens_4x400_team_win.html |title=American women's 4x400 team wins gold at 2016 World Indoor Championships |publisher=OregonLive.com |access-date=March 20, 2016}} and 2016 Olympic Games.Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics