Jeshua Anderson (born June 22, 1989) is a retired American sprinter, who specializes in the 400 meter hurdles. He is a 3 time NCAA champion in the 400m hurdles and was the second freshman from Washington State University to ever win the NCAA title. In 2008 Anderson was 400 meter hurdles Junior World Champion and holds the second fastest high school time recorded in the 300m hurdles.[1] He was born and raised in Woodland Hills, California and attended Taft High School. After winning the 2011 Outdoor Championships, Anderson had the competed for team USA at the world championships. He also participated in the 2016 Olympic trials in which he finished as a finalist.
After college, Anderson pursued a professional career as a sponsored athlete of Nike and sought to qualify for the 2012 Olympic games in London but suffered a torn hamstring that limited his performance.[2]
Jeshua has now stepped down from his career as a competitor to pursue coaching at the University of Washington and focuses on the sprints and hurdle events. Coaching alongside his own college hurdle coach, Mark McDonald who was essential to Jeshua's success by implementing unique training workouts and running mechanics. Anderson now is going into his fourth year with the Huskies.[3] At the start of his coaching position at UW, Jeshua led 2 of his athletes to break school records and receive All-American honors.[4]
Track and Field Career
2007
At the 2007 CIFState Track and Field Championships, he set the National High School Record in the 300 m hurdles in 35.28 seconds, breaking the previous record mark of 35.32 established by George Porter in 1985. Two years later, at the same meet, Reggie Wyatt, runner up in Anderson's record race, improved upon the record by running 35.02.
Anderson also won the 400m hurdle NCAA title that year with a time of 48.69,[4] becoming only the second WSU freshman to win an NCAA title as freshman.
Jeshua was also the champion of the Pac-10 400m Hurdle Champion with a time of 49.55[6]
2009
Anderson becomes the 2009 NCAA 400m hurdle champion with a time of 48.47 as well as the Pac-10 400m champion (48.90).[6]
2010
2010 NCAA 400m Hurdle Runner-up and Pac-10 Champion (48.63).
In April of that year just before the 2012 London Olympics, at the Mt. Sac Relays, Jeshua pulled his hamstring during his race in the 400m Hurdles. After an extensive effort to recover from the injury he was not able to qualify for the Olympic Team that year.[8]
Jeshua Anderson Coaching in the Dempsey Indoor Track
Still dealing with the hamstring injury that occurred in 2012, Jeshua finished as a finalist in the 2016 Olympic Trials.[9][6]
Football career
In his freshman and sophomore years at Washington State, Anderson also played wide receiver for the Washington State Cougars football team. As a freshman, he caught 12 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns. In his sophomore year, he had 33 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns. By his junior year, however, Anderson left the football team to focus on his track career.
Anderson had also played football during his prep career at W. H. Taft High School, and was rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. He had 40 receptions for 1013 yards and 10 touchdowns.[10]
