The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2013
- Class:
- 2006
An Olympic gold medalist and record-holder and world champion 400-meter hurdler, as well as a three-time NCAA champion, eight-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American and six-time Big 12 champion, Walker is one of the top hurdlers in Texas Track and Field program history. Walker began her collegiate career at Essex County College in Newark, N.J., where she collected two national junior college championships and eight junior college All-America honors. She joined the Longhorns for the 2005 and 2006 indoor and outdoor seasons, during which she amassed numerous individual national honors in addition to helping UT to 2005 outdoor and 2006 indoor NCAA team championships. Walker kicked off her Texas career with a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships as a junior in 2005. During the outdoor season, she was a strong contributor to Texas’ national crown, running legs of UT’s NCAA title-winning 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays while also placing fourth in the 400-meter hurdles. In her senior season, Walker added two more indoor All-America honors in the 60-meter hurdles, where she finished fifth, and as the anchor leg of the Longhorn’s 4x400-meter relay, which placed third, en route to UT’s second consecutive NCAA track and field team championship. She closed her collegiate career with another NCAA 4x100-meter relay title and a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the national outdoor meet, a performance which helped her earn 2006 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association South Central Regional Athlete of the Year honors. Walker finished her career ranked second all-time in UT program history in the 400-meter hurdles with her collegiate-best mark of 54.87 seconds, and she still ranks third in the 100-meter hurdles (12.75) and the 60-meter hurdles (8.05) and fourth in the 55-meter hurdles (7.77). Since turning professional at the conclusion of the 2006 season, Walker has experienced significant international success as a 400-meter hurdler. She was the gold medalist in the event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, setting the Olympic 400-meter hurdles record of 52.64 in the final. Walker went on to win a World Outdoor title in the 400-meter hurdles in 2009 in Berlin, crossing the finish line in 52.42, the second-fastest time in history. She was the silver medalist in the event at the 2011 World Outdoor Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and raced in her second Olympic 400-meter hurdles competition at the 2012 London Games. Walker earned a bachelor’s degree in applied learning and development – youth and community studies in 2006. A product of Kingston, Jamaica, she continues to train in and compete for her native country.