Bio

Brittney Reese

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (2004-2006) / Basketball
Gulfport, Mississippi

Brittney Reese is, far and away, Gulf Coast’s most decorated performer on the national and international stage. After playing two seasons of basketball at Perkinston, she went on to become SEC, NCAA, United States, World and Olympic champion a staggering 27 times in track and field.

At MGCCC, she led the women’s basketball team to two postseason berths. She was named Mississippi Association of Junior and Community Colleges All-State and National Junior College Athletic Association All-Region 23, and was on the NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention list. She also played in the MACJC All-Star Game.

After graduating, she attended Ole Miss where she won SEC indoor and outdoor championships in the long jump in 2007 and 2008. Reese also won the NCAA indoor and outdoor long jump championships in 2008, and added the indoor high jump title for good measure.

That year she won her first USA Track championship, claiming the outdoor title. She’s won eight American outdoor titles, and another four indoors.

Her first appearance in the Olympics came in Beijing in 2008, and Reese finished just off the podium in fourth place.

Reese won her first world championship in 2009 and finished with four outdoor and three indoor titles.

Reese reached the pinnacle of her career in 2012 in London, winning an Olympic gold medal by jumping 7.12 meters (23 feet, 4.5 inches). She added a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, losing out on becoming the first woman to win back-to-back long jump golds by 0.75 inches. She just barely missed another gold in 2021 in Tokyo, finished second by 3 centimeters. She missed becoming a three-time gold medalist by a combined two inches.

Only two American women have jumped further than Reese: Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Marion Jones.

Reese, who now lives in Inglewood, Calif., has an adopted son Alex.

Here's a rundown of her career accomplishments:

• Olympics (3 medals): Gold (2012, London), Silver (2016, Rio de Janeiro), fourth (2008, Beijing), Silver (2021, Tokyo)
• World Outdoor Championships (4 golds): 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017
• World Indoor Championships (3 golds): 2010, 2012, 2016
• US Outdoor Championships (9 titles): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021
• US Indoor Championships (4 titles): 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018
• US Olympic Trials Championships (4 titles): 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021
• NCAA Outdoor Championships (1 title): 2008
• NCAA Indoor Championships (1 title): 2008
• SEC Outdoor Championships (2 titles): 2007, 2008
• SEC Indoor Championships (2 titles): 2007, 2008