PORTLAND — Vashti Cunningham sandwiched her stints here in this Pacific Northwest city, the host of this week’s World Indoor Championships, with two days back at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, meeting the attendance requirements needed for the senior to be excused from taking finals later this spring.
Classmates knew what their friend had accomplished: Cunningham broke at least three records, including the world junior indoor mark, in winning the USA Track & Field indoor high jump title, exploding on the Olympic scene in a performance that could only surprise those unfamiliar with her genetic inheritance.