Tianna Madison

Tianna Madison is an American track and field athlete recognized for her achievements in the long jump and short sprinting events. Madison is a three-time Olympic gold medalist whose international career produced 13 medals across various disciplines, including six international gold medals and a world record. She is one of only four women globally to have run under 11.00 seconds in the 100-meter dash and jumped over 7.00 meters in the long jump. Madison began her athletic career at the University of Tennessee, where she won the SEC Indoor Long Jump, SEC Outdoor Long Jump, NCAA Indoor Long Jump, and NCAA Outdoor Long Jump titles, earning both indoor and outdoor All-America honors.

After winning NCAA indoor and outdoor long jump titles, Madison was selected at age 19 for the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, where she secured gold with a personal best of 6.89 meters. She later won the long jump World Championship and claimed the long jump World Indoor Championship. At the Summer Olympics in London, Madison won gold in the women's 4×100 relay, running the lead-off leg as the U.S. team set a world record. At the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she earned two additional gold medals—one in the long jump with a personal best and another as the lead-off runner for the victorious 4×100-meter relay team. Madison also competed in bobsled, joining the women's national bobsled team in her first season.

Beyond athletics, Madison is known for her work in resilience and social justice. She has contributed to publications including Yoga Journal, The Telegraph, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Irish Times, and Newsweek. Madison is the author of the memoir "Survive and Advance," which details her athletic career and her experiences with intimate partner violence. The memoir inspired her to launch an organization supporting domestic abuse survivors. She has spoken at events such as the Super Bowl weekend panel on women in sports, the College Football Hall of Fame, the SHE Conference in Oslo, and the Cannes Lions Festival, addressing topics like resilience, healthcare disparities, and the Black maternity health crisis.

Madison's personal experiences led her to pursue social work, openly sharing her story as a survivor of sexual assault and advocating for improved support systems. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, graduating cum laude from the University of Tennessee. Madison is a trauma-informed yoga and meditation teacher, a social justice advocate, and serves as a track and field coach at San Jose State University, where she assists with sprinters and horizontal jumps and supports student-athletes in academics and mental health. Madison continues to use her platform to advocate for equitable healthcare, social justice, and mental health awareness.