BOISE, Idaho — Rexburg native Chari Hawkins overcame adversity to become an Olympian this summer at 33 years old. She persevered again Friday, finishing all seven women's heptathlon events following a heartbreaking start in Paris.
Hawkins "no heighted" in the high jump Thursday morning, meaning she failed to clear the bar on all three attempts on one height. After placing fifth overall in the opening 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.16, she was left with no points for the second event.
The former Madison High School standout sat in last place, but elected to continue her lifelong dream by competing in the remaining heptathlon events. Hawkins finished 17th overall in the shot put at 13.64 meters and wrapped up day one by placing 15th with a time of 24.49 in the 200-meter race.
The uphill leaderboard climb continued Friday morning, with Hawkins placing 14th overall in the long jump with a mark of 5.90 meters. She took 15th in the javelin throw at 44.30 meters, before ending her Olympic debut with a 800-meter time of 2:15.76, good for 17th place.
Hawkins finished 21st overall with 5,255 points in the women's heptathlon at the Stade de France. She is the first Utah State athlete to reach the Olympics since James Parker competed at the 2004 Athens Games.
Chari Hawkins' Olympic heptathlon results:
- 100-Meter Hurdles – 13.16 (5th)
- High Jump – No mark*
- Shot Put – 13.64 meters (17th)
- 200 Meters – 24.49 (15th)
- Long Jump – 5.90 meters (14th)
- Javelin Throw – 44.30 meters (15th)
- 800 Meters – 2:15.76 (17th)
- Final Standings – 5,255 points (21st)
Hawkins in Paris
The Idaho native passed 1.56 meters, 1.59m, 1.62m, 1.65m and 1.68m in Thursday's high jump before clipping the bar at 1.71 meters in her sixth attempt. Hawkins was unable to clear the 1.71-meter mark on her second and third tries.
Hawkins was the only athlete to no-height, less than two months after finishing second in the high jump by clearing 1.79 meters at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene. She finished second overall with a personal-best score of 6,456 points.
During her silver-medal performance at Hayward Field in June, Hawkins posted all-time bests in the shot put (14.67 meters), javelin throw (49.28 meters) and 800-meter race (2:14.76). She claimed of three Team USA bids for Paris, joining Anna Hall and Taliyah Brooks.
Belgian star Nafissatou Thiam won her third-straight Olympic title Friday with 6,880 points total points, beating Britain's Katrina Johnson-Thompson and fellow Belgian Noor Vidts.
Olympic heptathlon overall leaders:
- Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium) – 6,880 points
- Katrina Johnson-Thompson (Great Britain) – 6,844 points
- Noor Vidts (Belgium) – 6,707 points
- Annik Kälin (Switzerland) – 6,639 points
- Anna Hall (United States) – 6,615 points
