Introduction
Vashti Cunningham (born January 18, 1998) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She is the daughter of retired National Football League (NFL) quarterback Randall Cunningham, niece of retired NFL fullback Sam Cunningham, and the younger sister of Randall Cunningham II. Her mother is Felicity de Jager Cunningham a former ballerina with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Vashti, like her brother two years ahead of her in school, jumped for Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada until March 2016 when she signed with Nike. She announced she will continue her education at a university while competing as a professional athlete.
On April 18, 2015, at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California, Cunningham jumped 1.94 m (6 ft 4 1⁄4 in), to set the pending new national high school record. At age 17, that was also equal to the #4 world Youth mark (under 19 years old). At that date it was the #3 mark in the world in 2015. She was named USATF Athlete of the Week for that performance. On June 27, 2015 she won the U.S. Junior National Championship. A month later at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, she improved again, jumping 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in). That mark equalled the World Youth Best.
On March 12, 2016, Vashti jumped 1.99 m (6 ft 6 1⁄4 in) while winning the 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Portland, Oregon. The mark established a new World Junior Record. At the time, just one week before the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, which were held in the same facility in the Portland convention center, Cunningham's jump was the #1 jump in the world in 2016. Eight days later, she won the World Indoor Championship.
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the  United States |
||||||
| 2015 | Pan American Junior Championships | Edmonton, Alberta | 1st | High jump | 1.96 m | |
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, Oregon | 1st | High jump | 1.96 m | |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 13th | High jump | 1.88 m | ||
USA National Championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | USA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Portland, Oregon | 1st | High jump | 1.99 m |
| US Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 2nd | High jump | 1.97 m |
|{{2017 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships||USA Indoor Track and Field Championships]] |Albequce, New Mexic |bgcolor=gold|1st |High jump |1.96 m