Grace Stark

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Grace Stark

| image = 2018-10-14 Heat 3 (Girls 100 metre hurdles Stage 2) at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics by Sandro Halank–026.jpg

| caption = Stark at the 2018 Youth Summer Olympics

| full_name =

| nationality = American

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|5|6|mf=yes}}

| birth_place =

| hometown = White Lake, Michigan, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 5'4"

| weight =

| sport = Athletics

| event = Hurdles

| pb = 60m hurdles: 7.73 (Nanjing, 2025)
100m hurdles: 12.21 (Paris, 2025)

}}

Grace Stark (born May 6, 2001) is an American hurdler. She was fifth in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.{{cite web |title=Grace Stark |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |website=World Athletics |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/grace-stark-14716925}}

Early life

From White Lake, Michigan, she attended Lakeland High School. As a junior in 2018, she won MHSAA Division 1 state championship titles over 100 metres and 100 metres hurdles. In the hurdles she ran the fastest time ever recorded by a Michigan high school athlete.{{cite web |title=Lakeland's Grace Stark on winning 100 hurdles, 100 dash |date=June 3, 2018 |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/videos/sports/high-school/2018/06/03/lakelands-grace-stark-winning-100-hurdles-100-dash/35641385/ |website=Detroit News |accessdate=June 29, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.mlive.com/sports/g66l-2019/04/c94c0f627d889/grace-stark-is-states-best-100m-hurdler-ever-a-once-in-a-lifetime-talent.html |website=mlive |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |title=Grace Stark is state's best 100m hurdler ever, a 'once in a lifetime' talent |date=April 26, 2019}} She attended the University of Florida.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/trackfield-indoor-women/article/2023-12-28/10-way-too-early-womens-bowerman-frontrunners-2024-track-and-field?amp |website=ncaa.com |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |title=10 way-too-early women's Bowerman frontrunners for the 2024 track and field season |date=January 23, 2024}}

Career

Stark won the NCAA Indoor 60m hurdles title in 2022, having run a personal best 7.83 seconds in the heats and lowering it to 7.78 in the final.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/news/report/ross-steiner-stark-ncaa-indoor-championships-birmingham |website=World Athletics |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |title=Ross attacks world record, Steiner and Stark secure NCAA indoor success}} This time equalled the collegiate record set by Brianna Rollins in 2013.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/trackfield-indoor-women/article/2022-03-12/ncaa-track-and-field-floridas-grace-stark-ties-womens-60-meter-hurdle?amp |title=Watch: Florida's Grace Stark ties NCAA women's 60 meter hurdle record |first=Stan |last=Becton |website=NCAA.COM |date=March 12, 2022 |accessdate=June 29, 2024}} She missed competition time due to a broken leg sustained at the SEC Outdoor Championships in 2022.{{cite web |url=https://www.flotrack.org/articles/12556001-its-grace-stark-season-the-florida-gator-re-sets-ncaa-lead-at-secs |website=Flotrack |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |title=It's Grace Stark Season. The Florida Gator Re-Sets NCAA Lead At SECs |date=May 12, 2024 |first=Cory |last=Mull}}

Stark went undefeated competing outdoors in the college season in 2024,{{cite web |url=https://www.usatf.org/news/2024/2024-u-s-olympic-team-trials-—-track-field-event-b#:~:text=She%20is%20undefeated%20in%20seven,contenders%20for%20the%20top%20spot. |website=usatf |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |title=2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS — TRACK & FIELD EVENT-BY-EVENT PREVIEW |date=June 21, 2024}} culminating with the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor 100m hurdles title in June 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.wruf.com/headlines/2024/06/09/valby-stark-led-florida-2nd-at-ncaa-women-outdoor-track-field-championships/ |website=wruf |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |date=June 9, 2024 |title=Valby, Stark-led Florida 2nd At NCAA Women Outdoor Track & Field Championships}} That month, she qualified for the final of the US Olympic Trials.{{cite web |url=https://www.flotrack.org/articles/12693759-us-olympic-track-and-field-trials-results-day-7 |website=Flotrack |accessdate=June 29, 2024 |title=U.S. Olympic Track And Field Trials Results Day 7 |date=June 29, 2024}} In the final, she finished third in a personal best time of 12.31 seconds to earn a place on the US team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.{{cite web |url=https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2024/06/30/lakeland-grad-grace-stark-earns-olympic-berth-with-third-place-finish-in-100-hurdles/ |date=June 30, 2024 |accessdate=July 1, 2024 |title=Lakeland grad Grace Stark earns Olympic berth with third-place finish in 100 hurdles |first=Matthew |last=Mowery}}

She competed in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, reaching the finals, where she placed fifth overall.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/5853/women-s-100m-hurdles-results-paris-olympic-games-2024-athletics |website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=28 December 2024|title= Women's 100m Hurdles Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics|date=10 August 2024}}

She was selected for the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March 2025, where she qualified for the semi-finals with a personal best 7.73 seconds. In the final she placed fifth in 7.74 seconds, in a race in which the top six were only separated by 0.04 seconds.{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Hall|url=https://www.flotrack.org/articles/13923755-usatf-announces-56-athletes-for-team-usa-at-2025-world-indoor-championships|website=Flotrack|date=14 March 2025|title= USATF Announces 56 Athletes For Team USA At 2025 World Indoor Championships|accessdate=14 March 2025}}{{cite web|url= https://sportsmax.tv/athletics/international/world-indoors/defending-champ-charlton-nugent-sparkle-as-five-caribbean-women-through-to-60m-hurdles-semis|website=SportsMax|access-date=23 March 2025|title= Defending champ Charlton, Nugent sparkle as five Caribbean women through to 60m hurdles semis|date=22 March 2025}}{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-championships/nanjing25/news/report/nanjing-25-women-60m-hurdles-report |website=World Athletics|date=23 March 2025|accessdate=23 March 2025|title= Charlton retains 60m hurdles title in race of record depth in Nanjing}} She began her 2025 outdoor season with a win over 100 metres hurdles at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida.{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/news/report/julien-alfred-2188-200m-gainesville|website=World Athletics|title= Alfred storms to 21.88 200m season opener in Gainesville|accessdate=20 April 2025|date=19 April 2025}} She was runner-up in the 100m hurdles at the 2025 Xiamen Diamond League event in China, in April 2025.{{cite web|url= https://www.watchathletics.com/page/6564/results-xiamen-diamond-league-2025|website=Watch Athletics|accessdate=2 May 2025|title= Results - Xiamen Diamond League 2025|date=26 April 2025}} Stark secured a victory in the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2025 Shanghai Diamond League, clocking a meet record time of 12.42 seconds.{{cite web|url= https://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=1044&do=news&news_id=671680|title= Stark, Tinch, and Allman Lead U.S. Charge at Shanghai Diamond League|date=3 May 2025|accessdate=3 May 2025}} She set a new meeting record to win the 100 metres hurdles at the 2025 BAUHAUS-galan event in Stockholm, part of the 2025 Diamond League, running 12.33 seconds. {{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/news/mondo-duplantis-world-pole-vault-record-628m-stockholm |title= Duplantis breaks world pole vault record with 6.28m in Stockholm |website=World Athletics|accessdate=16 June 2025|date=15 June 2025}} She set a personal best and moved to sixth on the all-times with a win over 100m hurdles in the Diamond League at the 2025 Meeting de Paris, running 12.21 seconds on 20 June 2025.{{cite web|website=Olympics.com|url= https://www.olympics.com/en/news/diamond-league-paris-2025-azeddine-habz-delights-at-home-as-olympic-champions-shine|accessdate=20 June 2025|title= Diamond League Paris 2025: Azeddine Habz delights at home as Olympic champions shine|date=20 June 2025}}

Competition results

=International competitions=

{{AchievementTable|nation=USA|Event=yes|Result=yes|NotesOff=yes}}

2024

|Olympic Games{{cite web|title=Women's 100m Hurdles - Final results|url= https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/ATH/OG2024_ATH_C73B1_ATHW100MHURD----------FNL-000100--.pdf|website=Olympics|access-date=10 August 2024|date=10 August 2024}}

|Paris, France

|5th

|100 m hurdles

|12.43

2025

|World Indoor Championships

|Nanjing, China

|5th

|60 m hurdles

|7.74