Wishing a Happy Birthday to an American Cross Country legend, Lynn Jennings! She’s a nine-time USA Cross Country Champion and is one of only three women to have won the IAAF World Cross Country Championships three times consecutively. She won the World Cross Country Championships in 1990, 1991, and 1992.
As a three-time Olympian; her first Olympic Games was in 1988 where she placed 6th overall with a time of 31:39.93 in the 10,000m behind American Francie Larrieu who ran 31:35.52.
She then won the bronze medal at 10,000m at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Her time of 31:19.89 was a new American record, and it lasted until May 3, 2002, when it was broken by Deena Kastor in Palo Alto, California.
In 1996 she qualified for her last Olympic Games competing in the 5,000m placing 9th overall in a time of 15:17.50.
At the 1986 World Cross Country Championships she placed second overall and 6th overall in 1987. At the 1988 World Cross Country Championships she placed back in the right direction placing 4th overall, but a 6th place finish in 1989. This is where her dominance came in as she would then win the following three world championship races from 1990 in France, 1991 in Belgium, and 1992 here in the United States.
After her three year win streak at the World Cross Country Championships, it would come to a close as she would place 3rd overall in Spain. She set a world indoor record in the 5000 meter run in 1990.
Imagine if Cross Country was an Olympic event?
Her success was also here at home as she has won the Gate River Run in 1988, 1996, 1997, and 1999. She also has racked up a win at the Peachtree Road Race in 1987.
She was one of the best female American runners of all time, with a range from 1500m to the marathon. She excelled at all three of the sport's major disciplines: track, road, and cross country.