In less time than it takes an NBA shot clock to expire, Nickesha Anderson dashed from relative anonymity on the Kansas University athletic scene to world-famous sprinter.
The year is young, but that doesn’t diminish what Anderson accomplished last weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., where at the Tyson Invitational she was clocked in 22.94 in the 200 meters, the fastest time by any woman in the world in 2008.
“She took a really competitive field, and she dominated it from start to finish,” said KU assistant coach Elisha Brewer, who instructs the sprinters. “It was a really awesome race.”
Anderson’s achievement lent a little more credibility to her long-standing goal of representing her country, Jamaica, in the Olympic Games.
A powerful 5-foot-4 runner, Anderson said she transferred to Kansas from Missouri Baptist with the blessing of her coach, who wanted her to have a chance to train at a school with better facilities.
“My coach told me my talent could take me places,” Anderson said.
Her coach was right. Anderson became the first sprinter in the world to eclipse the 23-second mark this year, topping Russian Anastasiya Kapachinskaya’s time of 23.02. That doesn’t mean Anderson is the top sprinter in the world.
“A lot of times at the professional level they don’t do the 200 (indoors) as much because they’ll say certain lanes are an advantage compared to other lanes,” Brewer said. “So they tend to not have that be a big money event. There are definitely people that are really fast that are not running the 200 right now. For their season, it makes sense to wait for outdoor. As far as collegiately, it’s a very fast time.”
Before Anderson sprinted for Kansas, the school indoor record in the 200 was 24.0. She brought it down to 23.75, then pared it to 23.35 in the preliminary heat in Fayetteville, then shocked the world in the final.
No different from a golfer who shoots the lowest score of his life, Anderson is eager to improve.
“I’m going to get better than that,” she said. “There are going to be a lot of challenges, and whenever there is a challenge, I respond to it.”
The Big 12 Indoor Championships (Feb. 29-March 1) represents the next challenge for Anderson, followed by the Iowa Invite (NCAA qualifier) and the NCAA Indoor Championships (March 14-15).
“She’s definitely put herself in a position to be the one to beat at the NCAA championships,” Brewer said. “Actually, the conference meet is going to be extremely competitive as well. You look at a list of the top 10 nationally and there are a lot of runners from the Big 12 on it. She’s definitely going to have to run her best to win it.”
Anderson’s favorite building on campus is Anschutz Pavilion. It keeps her from having to train outdoors these frigid days.
How has she enjoyed the weather during her first Kansas winter?
“I can’t say I love it 100 percent because that would be lying,” Anderson said before flashing a winner’s smile.
