Chasing heptathlon world record holder Jackie Joyner-Kersee is no small feat, but Anna Hall has taken the challenge head-on.

Learn about Hall’s career as she hopes to make her Olympic debut.

How old is Anna Hall?

Anna Hall is 23 years old. She was born on March 23, 2001.

How tall is Anna Hall?

Anna Hall is 5-foot-11.

Where is Anna Hall from?

Anna Hall was born and raised in Greenwood Village, Colorado, a suburb just outside of Denver.

What other sports has Anna Hall played?

Growing up, Anna Hall skied, swam, and played lacrosse and field hockey.

Hall began running track at age 7, initially competing in the high jump and 1500m events. However, following in her father’s footsteps, she eventually decided to compete in the multi-events.

Where did Anna Hall go to high school?

Anna Hall attended Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

Where did Anna Hall go to college?

Anna Hall began college running track at the University of Georgia. However, at the Olympics Trials in June 2021, she sustained a foot injury that sidelined her through October. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs experienced a coaching change that led Hall to transfer to the University of Florida.

Who are Anna Hall’s parents?

Anna Hall’s father, David, was a three-sport athlete at the University of Michigan. He played football and basketball and competed in the decathlon.

Her mother is Ronette Hall.

How many siblings does Anna Hall have? 

Anna Hall grew up with four sisters. Her older sisters, Kara and Julia, played tennis and ran track, respectively, at Michigan.

Julia later transferred as a graduate student and joined Anna on the track team at Georgia for one season. Her youngest sister’s name is Lauryn.

How did Anna Hall do in college?

In her junior season at Georgia, Anna Hall earned a second-place finish in the NCAA indoor pentathlon and third in the high jump.

The following year, 2022, Hall had an explosive senior season, nabbing the SEC Indoor title with a personal-best 4,618 points in the pentathlon, earning the pentathlon and heptathlon titles at the NCAA Division I Indoor and Outdoor Championships, respectively, and helped Florida win both its first indoor team title in 30 years and first-ever outdoor team title.

That year, she also broke the collegiate heptathlon world record with a score of 6,412 points, sneaking past Joyner-Kersnee’s record of 6,390 from 1983, and ran the third-fastest heptathlon in world history (2:03.11).

How many medals has Anna Hall won?

On the international stage, Anna Hall has won two medals: bronze at the 2022 World Championships and silver at the 2023 World Championships.

How many Olympics has Anna Hall been to?

Though she participated in the Olympic Trials for the Tokyo Olympics, Hall crashed out in the 100m hurdles race, breaking her foot in the process, which forced her to withdraw from the competition after one event. She later had a screw put in her foot.

She officially qualified for her first Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials on June 24.

Has Anna Hall broken Jackie Joyner-Kershee’s records?

While Anna Hall joined Joyner-Kersee as the only U.S.-born woman to win two medals in the multi-event with her silver medal at 2023 Worlds, Joyner-Kersee’s personal best of 7,218 in the heptathlon still holds the top spot. 

Hall’s personal best is 6,988 — just one spot behind Joyner-Kersee on the all-time U.S. list.

Who is Anna Hall’s mentor? 

Recently, Anna Hall has developed a close relationship with Joyner-Kersee, who often calls Hall to offer advice and lend a listening ear.

What advice did Jackie Joyner-Kersee give Anna Hall before the Olympic Trials? 

Ahead of the Olympic Trials in late June, Joyner-Kersee called Anna Hall three times and told her to believe in herself.

What injuries did Anna Hall overcome before the Olympic Trials? 

Following the foot injury she sustained at the Olympic Trials for the Tokyo Olympics and subsequent surgeries, Anna Hall suffered a complex knee injury that required more surgery in January 2024 — just six months before the Olympic Trials began.

Has Anna Hall qualified for the Paris Olympics?

At the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in late June, Anna Hall finished first in the heptathlon, completing her redemption arc and qualifying for her first Olympic team.

On her relationship with her sisters:

I lean on my sisters so much. I call them almost every day after practice, tell them if I had a rough day, if I had a good day. And they're just always there to uplift me with, whether it's track stuff, off-track stuff, and [they’re] always just supporting me.

On when she decided to become an Olympian:

I was a really confident eight year old. I don't know where it came from, but I remember … the coach [at my track club] said, ‘Everybody write down their goals. Where do you want to be in ten years? Whether it has to do with track or non-track, what do you want to be when you grow up?’ And I remember thinking, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I'm going to go to the Olympics. That's what I'm going to do.’ And in my mind, there was no plan B.

On her father's support:

He was the one who really got through to me that you have to work really hard for things to go your way, and that in order to do that, it's not just about doing everything you're supposed to do, but you have to love the process. And so I think him speaking to me in that way really made a difference, because once I learned to love practice and love chasing progress, the entire sport changed for me.

On Joyner-Kersee's mentorship:

"It's meant the world. She’s been here for everything. She called me last week and she was like, ‘I’m going to call you every two days until trials [to] make sure your head’s right. You can do this. I’m behind you. You just have to believe.'"