ACPS Athletic Hall of Famer and T.C. Williams alumnus Tynita Butts has qualified to compete in the high jump for Team USA at the World Athletics Championship in Qatar this fall.
The 2014 inductee made the cut after placing an impressive third at the USA Track and Field Championship in Des Moines, IA last weekend.
The Class of 2009 track and field star, who now lives in Flagstaff, AZ, cleared 1.92m to smash her five-year-old personal best.
Tynita is a two-time state champion in the high jump, won the prestigious Penn Relays twice and is a six-time NCAA All-American at East Carolina University.
In 2014, she was named Conference USA Women’s Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year.
But in recent years she has suffered set-backs due to injuries.
Speaking to reporters moments after she competed, she said, “I had a feeling in my spirit, in my bones, that today was going to be a great day. I just wanted to come out here with my mind on the goal.”
“Today, I just knew something special was going to happen. I had people to support me and the crowd to support me and I believed I could do it. I know there is more in me. I believe in the good Lord, I believe in the impossible.”
She added, “I’m excited to be back in Team USA again for the third or fourth time. I’m blessed and I’m happy to represent my country again.”
The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships are scheduled to be held between September 27 and October 6, 2019 in the capital city, Doha.