NORMAL, Ill. – Aisha Praught, Illinois State track and field alum, she was named to represent Jamaica at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Praught met the Olympic A Standard in both the 1,500-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, but chose to compete in the steeplechase only.
Praught discovered her Jamaican heritage after she reconnected with her birth-father in the summer of 2013. In 2015, she became a Jamaican citizen and has dual citizenship in both the United States and Jamaica. Her first time representing Jamaica was at the 2015 World Championships.
At ISU, Praught's most notable moment was her break-through performance where she finished a close second in the mile run to Lucy Van Dalen at the 2012 Indoor NCAA Championships.