Jessika Gbai

Jessika Gbai
Personal information
Full nameJessika Lauren Maca Gbai
NationalityIvory Coast
Born (1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 (age 25)
DALOA, Côte d'Ivoire
EducationHoward University
Height1.67/5'6
Sport
SportAthletics
EventSprint
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100m: 11.22 (Clermont, 2023)
200m:22.36 (Paris, 2024)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  Ivory Coast
African Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Douala 200 m

Jessika Lauren Maca Gbai (born 29 December 1998) is an Ivorian track and field athlete from the Ivory Coast who competes as a sprinter.[1] Gbai made her Olympic debut for women’s 200m on 4th August, 2024 at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. And successfully made into the final, finished in 8th[2] for her Olympic-Final debut as a first-time Olympian.

Early life

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Jessika Gbai born in Côte d'Ivoire, moved to Philadelphia (USA) as a child, she holds both citizenships. Was cleared by World Athletics to represent Côte d'Ivoire starting from 1 June 2022. [3]

She graduated from Howard University in 2022 with degrees in biology and political science.[4][5]

Career

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Jessika Gbai competed in the 200 metres at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, running 22.82 seconds in the semi-final.[6]

She was part of the Ivory Coast 4x100m relay team that ran 42.23 seconds to set a new national record win the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne.[7][8] In August 2023, she set a new personal best time for the 200 meters of 22.43 seconds in Kinshasa jn winning gold for the Ivory Coast at the 2023 Francophone Games.[9][10]

Selected for the 200 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest kn August 2023, she qualified for the semi-finals.[11]

She ran as part of the Ivory Coast 4x100m relay team which qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the 2024 World Relays Championships in Nassau, Bahamas.[12]

Jessika Gbai made her Olympics debut for women’s 200m on 4th August, 2024 at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. In 200m, she finished her semi finals with a new personal best 22.36s. She successfully made into the final for 200m as an first-time Olympian, finished in 8th with a time of 22.70s[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Jessika Gbai". World Athletics. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b Paris 2024 (5 August 2024). "Olympic Schedule & Results-Athletics - Women's 200m". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved 5 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Paris 2024 (30 July 2024). "Paris 2024 — GBAI Jessika". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved 30 July 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Gary, LaShandra N. (May 23, 2022). "Howard University Grad Stories: Jessica Gbai". thedig.Howard.edu. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  5. ^ Freeman, Sholnn Z. (August 1, 2024). "From Philly to Paris: Jessika Gbai's Olympic Sprint to Success". Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  6. ^ "Gbai's Run Ends at the World Athletics Championships". meacsports.com. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Preview: Men's and Women's Relays - World Athletics Championships 2023". Watch Athletics. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  8. ^ "WCH Budapest 23 preview: 4x100m". World Athletics. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  9. ^ "9th Francophonie Games: Ivorians Jessica Gbaï and Cheickna Traoré win the gold medal respectively in the Women's and Men's 200m". abidjan.net. August 5, 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Jessica Lauren Gbai et Maboundou Koné seront aux Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024". lekpakpatosportif. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Women's 200m Results: World Athletics Championships 2023". Watch Athletics. 23 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Women 4x100m Results - World Athletics Relays Championships 2024". World Athletics. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.