CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Anna Cockrell is set to compete in her second Olympics and she's looking for redemption after a disqualification ended her hopes of earning a medal in Tokyo.
Cockrell clinched her spot on the U.S. track and field team this summer, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Born into a family of athletes, it's no surprise that Cockrell excelled on the track. Her father Kieth played football at Columbia University. Her older brother Ross was also a star on the gridiron, playing his college ball at Duke before going to the NFL and winning a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. Her older sister, Ciera, played volleyball at Davidson College.
Anna Cockrell developed her passion for track as a teen and was winning world championships by the time she finished high school. In 2016, she won gold in the women's 400-meter hurdles with a personal best time at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Poland. She also won gold in the women's 4x400 relay.
She was then an NCAA champion at the University of Southern California, winning the 400-meter hurdle title with a time of 55.23. Her title followed back-to-back runner-up performances in the NCAAs.
Cockrell now heads to Paris, where she'll once again have her eyes set on winning gold on the world's biggest stage.
Olympic controversy
Cockrell appeared poised to lead the U.S. to a medal in Tokyo but finished seventh in the finals in the 400-meter hurdles. Things took a turn for the worse when officials disqualified Cockrell for a lane violation. The incident garnered global attention with fans wondering why her time was disallowed. Two of her American teammates earned medals in the race, with Sydney McLaughlin earning the gold with a time of 51.46.
A champion for mental health
Despite her success on the track, Cockrell was suffering in silence, battling depression throughout high school and college. That all changed at the 2019 NCAA championships when Cockrell's hamstring injury removed her from competition. It was at this point she came forward about her depression.
Cockrell credited time off during the COVID-19 pandemic and returning to Charlotte with getting her mental health on the right path. A group of teens working out with her high school coach helped her rediscover her love of the sport.
“The two things I don't like to talk about are the fact that I've battled depression on and off since my 10th-grade year and that I'm a perfectionist," Cockrell said during her commencement speech at USC. "This perfectionism means that I don't like to ask for help I don't like to seem weak, I don't like to let people know that I struggle.”
Anna Cockrell Olympic schedule
- Sunday, Aug. 4 at 4 a.m.: Women's 400-meter hurdle preliminaries (Digital streaming only)
- Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 1:35 p.m.: Women's 400-meter hurdle heats on WCNC Charlotte
- Thursday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m.: Women's 400-meter hurdle finals on WCNC Charlotte