Anna Hall is among today’s most promising American track and field athletes. The 23-year-old heptathlon and pentathlon competitor bounced back from a couple of dismaying injuries to finally make it to the Olympic stage in 2024, placing fifth in Paris’ Heptathlon event.
Hall comes from a tight-knit family of fellow sports enthusiasts, starting with her dad and including her two older sisters. In June, they were all in Eugene, Oregon to see their daughter and sister win the U.S. track and field Olympic trials and qualify for her first Games after a foot fracture spoiled her Tokyo 2020 dreams. Hall’s sister Julia, who is currently a model and used to run track at the University of Michigan, said she couldn’t be prouder of Anna in an emotional Instagram post featuring the entire Hall family during the “moments in between.”
Anna Hall’s family, explained
The Halls are all about sisterhood. Dad David and Mom Ronette are parents to four girls — Kathryn (known professionally as Kara), a former tennis player at Michigan who served as Zendaya’s body double in the 2024 hit movie Challengers, Julia, Anna, and the youngest, Laurynn. “We’re all very driven,” Anna said of her sisters, describing how she spent her childhood “playing catchup” with Kara and Julia in an attempt to compete. “That’s kind of what gave me my edge,” she told the Florida Gators news team.
David Hall might be a managing director at a Denver consulting firm nowadays (so says his LinkedIn page), but he used to be a prolific athlete during his college years, playing football and basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. He also ran track and field, participating in a decathlon event in the 1980s where he set a record for the university. The proud dad said he first realized an athletics career was in the cards for Anna when she was in eighth grade.
Age 12 to 14, I started noticing the combination of her focus and enjoyment for track, and then a will to win. Then after eighth grade and high school, it became very noticeable to those around her to see how much she seemed to embrace track and the grind.”
Mom Ronette is a model and one of her daughters’ best friends.
Back in 2021, Anna revealed that one of her favorite lockdown hobbies was cooking with her mom. “I learned a lot of recipes from her when I was home that I’ve been able to take back here and make my own, so that’s been great.”
The future’s bright for Anna, who, besides her incredibly supportive family also has Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee as her close mentor.
Published: Aug 12, 2024 05:36 am