Olympic gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn has expressed heartfelt appreciation following her induction into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.
The Puerto Rican sprint hurdler, who clinched the 100-meter hurdles gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and bronze at this year’s Paris games, was one of six honorees at the prestigious ceremony held on Friday.
Reflecting on the honor, Camacho-Quinn took to social media after the event, hosted at the Central Bank Center in Lexington, to share her emotions. “I think I’m still lost for words,” she said. “I started at the University of Kentucky a semester late—spring of 2015—and was forced to redshirt. I wasn’t the most well-behaved student in high school, and when I finally got my stuff together, it was too late. This is MY story.”
In her Instagram post, the 28-year-old went on to thank the people who supported her during her journey, writing, “College wasn’t the easiest either. But everyone who truly believed in me and stuck by my side, thank you. Thank you Mommy & Daddy. Thank you to my brothers James, Robert & Miguel. Thank you Sarah. Thank you Coach Flo. Thank you Barb & Passion. & Thank you God.”
Exceptional career at Kentucky
Though her time competing for the university was brief, she added that those years shaped her both as an athlete and as a person: “Although I only got to represent for three years at Kentucky, those three years taught me so much about myself & life. Six years later after graduating, I am now a part of THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY HALL OF FAME!”
Camacho-Quinn, widely celebrated for her exceptional career at Kentucky, was inducted alongside other distinguished athletes, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, legendary coach and administrator John Cropp, former rifle star Henrik Larsen, basketball standout Jodie Meeks, and football player Corey Peters.
As a student-athlete, Camacho-Quinn amassed an impressive resume, winning three NCAA titles, including two in the 100-meter hurdles in 2016 and 2018, and one in the 4×100-meter relay in 2017. A dominant force in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), she also secured six conference championships and shattered four school records, cementing her place as one of the program’s all-time greats.
