High school track and field: Elyria High legend Tianna Madison recognized as part of anniversary of first girls meet

COLUMBUS — Three-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist and nine-time Division I girls state track and field champion Tianna Madison was among a group of distinguished state championship meet alumni recognized during a ceremony at Saturday's state meet. The ceremony was part of the Ohio High School Athletic Association's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first girls state track meet, which was held May 30 and 31, 1975, at Ohio Stadium. Madison won three Division I long jump titles plus two titles each in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, as well as two titles as a member of the 400-meter relay in three state tournament appearances. She led Elyria High to Lorain County's only girls state team title in 2003 after leading the Pioneers to a state runner-up finish in 2002. "I'm loving this," Madison said. "It's nice to be recognized for your efforts, and track and field is one of those sports you do a lot of work in silence and solo, so when you get these opportunities I love to lean into it and enjoy the celebration. "I come to the state meet a lot. As you know and I know, Ohio track and field athletes are pretty awesome. It's really nice to be able to do this. I'm really enjoying this. I live in California but I visit Ohio a lot. I think I might have more memories about state track if I would have run here (at Jesse Owens Stadium), but all of my state meets in high school were run at Dayton. "The atmosphere and what's at stake and culture is still the same. It's great to see how the times have evolved and how the athletes have changed and how the coaches have changed. I'm just glad that I'm able to still return and be host. Like last year, witnessing Mateo Medina from Elyria, and I was happy to be able to see that in person." Madison still holds the Division I girls state long jump record with a mark of 20-5.75 set in 2003. "That mark is definitely made to be broken," Madison said. "Call me if you need some tips." Madison earned Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016 as a member of the U.S. women's 400-meter relay. She also won Olympic gold in the long jump in 2016. Madison's dad, Robert Madison, a 1976 Elyria High grad, was also on hand. "It's a big honor," he said. "They were a little lax about things like this awhile ago, but now they're making up for it. She's being honored out here for being a nine-time state champion and three-time Olympic champion. It's wonderful. "She fought through a lot of hard times, but that's her heart. She loves the sport. You want to see that true grit. That's why she's an Olympic champion, NCAA champion, world champion. That's from putting it altogether. She loved competing. She loved the family life and the track life. It was awesome." Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.