American high jumper (born 1970)
Tisha Felice Waller , (born December 1, 1970) is an American athlete competing in the high jump , who participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics .[ 1] She is a five time American Champion, and internationally won the 1998 Goodwill Games , plus bronze medals in the 1991 World University Games and the 1999 World Indoor Championships .
Born in South Boston, Virginia , Waller was raised in Decatur, Georgia .[ 2] She graduated from Halifax County High School and the University of North Carolina . After graduating she became a kindergarten teacher, becoming 1996 Teacher of the year honors at Livsey Elementary School in DeKalb County, Georgia . That same year she won the United States Olympic Trials (track and field) and competed in the home town Olympics. She concentrated on High Jump, coached by Nat Page [ 2] [ 3] for a few years but taking the 2001 season off to finish her master's degree at Clark University and return to teaching first grade at a brand new school, Wynbrooke Traditional Theme School in Stone Mountain, Georgia . She was named USATFs Visa Humanitarian Athlete of the Year in 2003.
Waller established an American women's indoor record of 2.01 meters (6' 7.25") at the 1998 USA Indoor Championships on February 28, 1998. Her mark stood for 14 years until it was broken by Chaunté Lowe by a single centimeter, 2.02m, at the 2012 USA Indoor Championships.[ 4]
International competitions
Year
Competition
Venue
Position
Notes
Representing United States
1991
Universiade
Sheffield , United Kingdom
3rd
1.90 m
1995
World Indoor Championships
Barcelona , Spain
7th
1.93 m
World Championships
Gothenburg , Sweden
17th (q)
1.90 m
1996
Olympic Games
Atlanta , United States
9th
1.93 m
1998
Goodwill Games
New York City, United States
1st
1.97 m
World Cup
Johannesburg , South Africa
3rd
1.93 m
1999
World Indoor Championships
Maebashi , Japan
3rd
1.96 m
World Championships
Seville , Spain
4th
1.96 m
2002
World Cup
Madrid , Spain
4th
1.96 m
2003
World Indoor Championships
Birmingham , United Kingdom
7th
1.96 m
2004
Olympic Games
Athens , Greece
16th (q)
1.89 m
(q) = overall position in qualifying round
References
External links
Qualification Men's track and road athletes Men's field athletes Women's track and road athletes Women's field athletes Coaches —
Qualification Men's track and road athletes Men's field athletes Women's track and road athletes Women's field athletes Coaches —
1923–1979Amateur Athletic Union 1980–1992The Athletics Congress 1993–presentUSA Track & Field Notes
OT : Since 1992, championships incorporated the Olympic Trials in Olympic years, otherwise held as a discrete event.
2020 OT : The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic .