Grace Ping
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | July 7, 2003 |
| Education | Cotter High School Desert Vista High School Oklahoma State University |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests | All per athlete's World Athletics profile.
|
Grace Ping (born July 7, 2003)[2] is an American long-distance runner.[3] Between the ages of 11 and 13, she set six age-group world records between the 2 mile and 5000 meter distances.[4]
As a seventh grader in 2015, Ping won a Minnesota high school cross-country invitational meet and "became a sort of folk hero" from this.[5][6]
Career
As a seventh grader, Ping was allowed to compete for Cotter High School in her hometown of Winona, Minnesota. In 2015, she won a Minnesota high school cross-country invitational meet in a time of 18:12.47 for the 5 kilometer distance.[5][6]
In 2016, at the New Balance High School Nationals, she set the girls' age-12 world record in the 5000 meters and two mile distances, with times of 16:44.80 and 10:28.66 respectively. In the 5000 meters, she finished second behind a 19-year-old Weini Kelati.[3] Later that year, her family temporarily moved to Utah, returning to Minnesota afterwards.[7][8]
In March 2017, at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival, Ping won the 5000 meters in a time of 16:26.83, setting a new girls' age-13 world record.[9] In June 2017, running against professionals at the Portland Track Festival, Ping improved her girls' age-13 world record in the 5000 meters to 16:25.63.[10]
In 2019, her family moved to Arizona, where Ping and her sister Lauren attended Desert Vista High School.[11][12] They led the high school team to an Arizona state championship that year.[5] In December 2019, due to an injury, Ping placed 30th in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championship,[13] and 27th in the Nike Cross Nationals.[14]
In November 2020, Grace and Lauren led the Desert Vista High School to a second Arizona state cross country championship and, by virtual race, to win the Nike-sponsored national championship. The Desert Vista head coach was their mother Megan, with their father Ryan as an assistant coach.[5] In December 2020, Ping committed to attend Oklahoma State University.[12]
Since 2025, Ping is a graduate student at Duke University.[15][16]
References
- ↑ "Lauren Ping Gatorade 2019 - 2020: Player of the Year". Gatorade Player of the Year. Archived from the original on 2026-01-16. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "Grace PING | Profile | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- 1 2 Alison Wade (June 23, 2016). "Amazing Grace: 12-Year-Old Sets Two World Records". Runners World.
- ↑ Mull, Cory (11 June 2017). "Grace Ping Lowers Her Own Age Group World Record In The 5K". MileSplit USA. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Nick King (November 28, 2020). "Ping sisters help lead Desert Vista cross country to state, national titles". Arizona Family / PHOENIX 3TV / CBS 5.
- 1 2 Deibel, Bryan (21 September 2017). "Throwback Thursday: Grace Ping Crushes The Griak Invitational As A 7th Grader". MileSplit USA. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ Scott, Dana. "Desert Vista cross-country phenoms were born to run". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- ↑ "Report: Grace Ping, family moving to Utah". Winona Daily News. August 12, 2016.
- ↑ Deibel, Bryan (2 April 2017). "Grace Ping Breaks 5K Age Group World Record". MileSplit USA. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ Tim Huebsch (June 12, 2017). "13-year-old Grace Ping runs 16:26 for 5K against pros". Canadian Running.
- ↑ Scott, Dana (10 October 2019). "Desert Vista cross-country phenoms were born to run". AZ Central. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- 1 2 Cory Mull (December 30, 2020). "Grace Ping's Commitment To OK State Solidifies Next Step". MileSplitAZ. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
- ↑ Obert, Robert (14 December 2019). "Desert Vista's Grace Ping finishes 30th at Foot Locker National Cross Country championships in San Diego". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "Lauren Ping Gatorade 2019 - 2020: Player of the Year Girls Cross Country - Arizona PLAYER OF THE YEAR". playeroftheyear.gatorade.com. Archived from the original on 2026-01-16. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- ↑ Kilgallen, Ryan (2025-11-03). "Duke cross country records top-10 team finishes at ACC Championships". The Duke Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- ↑ "Grace Ping - 2025 - Cross Country". Duke University. Retrieved 2026-04-13.