Autumne Franklin receives her medal at the Junior National Championships Saturday (Photo: Harvard Track and Field).

Video of the 400 Hurdles Race

Post Race Interview With Autumne Franklin

DES MOINES, Iowa – In her finest performance of a stellar freshman campaign, Harvard hurdler Autumne Franklin captured the 400 hurdles title Saturday at the USA Track and Field Junior National Championships on the campus of Drake University. With the win, Franklin has earned the chance to represent the United States at the Pan-Am Junior Championships in Colombia at the end of August.

Running in lane two, Franklin kept pace with the other competitors through the first portion of the race and started her move towards the front just past the 200-meter mark. By the final turn, Franklin had pushed her way to the front and managed to hold off the other runners down the home stretch. Her winning time of 57.10 represents a massive personal best, shattering her previous best mark by more than a full second. The time is also the fastest time run by a junior in the world this season.

Her title in the 400 hurdles saw her earn the second USATF All-America honor of the meet, as she also competed in the 100 hurdles in the opening day of the event. Her time of 14.07 in the event was good for third in the final results.