KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kym Carter set the National Federation of High Schools record in the high jump during her time at Wichita East, clearing 6 feet and 2 1/4 inches.
She parlayed that into a track and field career that took her to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Carter, who initially attended the University of Houston before transferring to LSU, finished 11th at the Olympic Games in the heptathlon in 1992.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee won gold in the event.
Carter briefly took the mantle of best U.S. heptathlete after the Olympics, finishing second at the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships and third at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
She was the No. 1-ranked U.S. heptathlete in 1995.
In between, Carter finished sixth at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and missed a chance to return to the Olympics.
After her track career, Carter became the executive director of the Carl Lewis Foundation and a board member of the Sound Body Sound Mind program.
She was a three-time Kansas Class 6A state champion in the high jump and five time NCAA All-American.
Her national high school high jump record lasted three years, but it remains the Kansas state record nearly four decades later.
Carter was inducted into the Wichita East Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
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The Kansas City region has a deep, rich history with respect to the Olympic Games. As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games approach with the Opening Ceremony scheduled for July 23, we will profile an athlete with ties to Kansas City, Missouri or Kansas each day.
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