Meet Kendall Ellis, the athlete who won the 400m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials with a personal best of 49.46s

Kendall Ellis has just stormed to the gold in the women's 400m at the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials. This win has assured the American of her individual Olympic debut.

Ellis entered the finals as the second-fastest qualifier. She won her heat with a time of 49.81, which placed her just behind Kaylyn Brown with a time of 49.71. In the finals, the two-time Olympic medalist pulled off a stunning race, clocking a new personal best of 49.46 for the win.

She was joined on the podium by Aaliyah Butler and Alexis Holmes, both of whom also ran personal bests of 49.71 and 48.78 seconds. With this win, Ellis is assured of her second-consecutive appearance at the Games. Her outing at the upcoming Paris Olympics will also mark the first time she competes at the marquee event individually.

In light of her performance at the U.S Olympic Track and Field Trials, here is everything you need to know about the sprinter.

Kendla Ellis' family and hometown

Kendall Ellis was born to parents Wanda and Samuel Ellis on March 8, 1996, in Pembroke Pines, Florida. She currently resides in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The sprinter has two siblings, Courtney and Kimberly.

Who is Kendall Ellis' coach?

Kendall Ellis is currently coached by legendary American sprinter Quincy Watts. As an athlete, Watts is a two-time Olympic Champion, having won the 400m and 4x400m relay at the 1992 Games. He is also a two-time World Championships medalist.

As a coach, Watts leads the University of Southern California. In his time with the Trojans, he has led the team to 104 indoor and outdoor All-America honors, 20 NCAA titles, 33 Pac-12 crowns, 28 school records, and they set 3 collegiate records.

Kendall Ellis' education

Ellis completed her high school education at the St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She graduated with a 4.7 GPA. For her collegiate education, she studied at the University of Southern California, graduating in 2017 with a degree in Business Administration. She later went on to successfully earn her Masters in Business Administration through DeVry University.

Kendall Ellis' career highlights

The first mark of Ellis’ sporting talent came when the American was still in high school, as she stormed to four consecutive 400m titles at the Florida High School Athletic Association 4A State Championships between 2011 and 2014.

She repeated her dominance on the NCAA circuit, winning two indoor and one outdoor national title in her time with the USC Trojans. Her collegiate career also saw the sprinter claim 14 NCAA Division I All-American honors, and seven Pac-12 Conference championships.

On the global stage, Ellis is a two-time World Champion and Olympic medalist. She was a part of the American women’s 4x400m relay team that ran the prelims at the 2017 and 2019 Championships. She was also a part of the mixed 4x400m and women's 4x400m teams that ran the prelims at the Tokyo Olympics, with the teams later winning bronze and gold respectively.