Sydney Vaught
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | United States |
| Born | Sydney Thorvaldson 23 February 2003 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Long-distance running |
Turned pro | 2019 |
Sydney Vaught (née Thorvaldson born 7 March 2003) is an American long-distance runner. She won the 10,000 metres title at the 2026 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[1]
Biography
[edit]From Rawlins, Wyoming, Thorvaldson was a successful high school athlete and was named the 2020-21 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. In her high school career, she won six Gatorade Wyoming Player of the Year awards, never losing a cross-country or track race in Wyoming. In cross country, she set meet records at the Northwest Nike Cross regional and XC Meet of Champions National Invitational, and on the track set Wyoming high school records at distances from the 800 metres, to the mile run and two-mile run. She was educated at Rawlins High School before attending the University of Arkansas.[2][3][4]
Competing at the 2024 SEC Indoor Championships, she set a meeting record over 5000 metres of 15:42.45.[5][6] In February 2026, running under her married name Sydney Vaught, she broke the SEC meet record in the 5000 m again, front running to win by 9.61 seconds, with a time of 15:02.52. It was the ninth-fastest time in NCAA history, and also a facility record.[7][8] That year, having won four all-American honours for Arkansas in her college career, including two top-15 performances at the NCAA cross country championships, and helping Arkansas win the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships, she signed a professional contract with sports brand Nike.[9][8]
On 4 July 2026, Vaught was the top American finisher at the Peachtree Road Race over 10k, running 32:18. On 23 July, she won the 10,000 metres title at the 2026 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in New York ahead of Katie Izzo, having taken control of a slow race by running 15:21 for the second 5km.[10][8]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Sydney Vaught". World Athletics. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ Gault, Jonathan (April 15, 2021). "Sydney Thorvaldson Speaks With LetsRun.com After Being Named 2020-21 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year". Lets Run. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ Newman, Logan. "These high school athletes defined the state of Wyoming — who's the greatest?". USA Today. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "SYDNEY THORVALDSON HAS SIGHTS SET ON BIG FINISH AT NXN". Runnerspace. 2 Dec 2019.
- ↑ Mull, Cory (Feb 24, 2024). "Sydney Thorvaldson Sets Meet Record In 5K At SECs". Flotrack. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "SEC Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 23 Feb 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "CONFERENCE MEET ROUNDUP: SYDNEY VAUGHT BREAKS SEC MEET RECORD IN 5,000". Runnerspace. 27 Feb 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Johnson, Robert (July 24, 2026). "Fearless Sydney Vaught Wins First US 10,000m Title with 15:21 Final 5k". Lets Run. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ Clark-Mellott, Kaycee (Jun 19, 2026). "All-American Nike runner hosts camp for Wyoming athletes". Wyoming News. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ Zaccardi, Nick (July 23, 2026). "Woody Kincaid, Sydney Vaught win USA Track and Field 10,000m titles". nbcsports. Retrieved 24 July 2026.