DeeDee Trotter

DeeDee Trotter has always been a standout. A star high school athlete in both basketball and track, Trotter made a name for herself at Cedar Grove High School, earning four letters in her two sports of choice. There, she won state titles both outdoors (24.19) and indoors over 200m (24.83), the latter of which was a state record.

Trotter continued her career as a sprinter at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where, as just a sophomore, Trotter finished second in the NCAA Championships over 400m. She followed her NCAA performance up with a third place finish at the US Championships, and then anchored the USA’s 4x400m relay team to gold at the Pan-Am Games in Santo Domingo.

The following year, Trotter improved on her NCAA finish, this time by capturing the collegiate 400m crown. A few weeks later, Trotter finished third in the US Olympic Trials on the very same track where she had won her NCAA title. The summer at her first Olympic Games, Trotter finished a respectable fifth in a then-personal best of 50.00. She also was a part of the USA’s 4x400m relay team that won gold in Athens.

Following her Olympic experience, Trotter’s first two full seasons as a professional were remarkably consistent. In 2005, Trotter won her first US National titles, winning the indoor 400m that winter. In the spring, she was the runner-up at the US Outdoor Championships (in 49.88, dipping under the 50 second barrier for the first time), and that August, finished fifth at the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki. She was also a member of the USA’s gold medal winning relay. In 2006, Trotter was again runner up at the US Outdoor Championships, and again broke the 50 second barrier.

Trotter began the next year well, winning a second US Indoor title over 400m. It was a feat she matched in the outdoor season that June in Indianapolis, when Trotter won her first US National outdoor title in a massive personal best of 49.64 seconds. Though she seemed to have positioned herself as near certain favorite for a medal at the IAAF World Championships that summer, an auto accident and the resulting injuries would hamper Trotter’s summer preparations. Still, Trotter managed to finish a respectable fifth at the World Championships, and was again a part of the USA’s winning relay team.

Having broken through on the professional ranks and demonstrated an ability to win and to perform when it’s needed, Trotter has declared herself as one of the legitimate medal contenders this summer in Beijing.