# Candy Young

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**Candy Young** (born May 21, 1962) is a retired American [track and field](/source/Track_and_field) athlete who was a record-setting [hurdler](/source/Hurdles) at [Beaver Falls High School](/source/Beaver_Falls_High_School) in [Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania](/source/Beaver_Falls,_Pennsylvania).

## High school career

While running in the 1979 [USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships](/source/USA_Outdoor_Track_and_Field_Championships) at [Mt. SAC](/source/Mt._San_Antonio_College) in [Walnut, California](/source/Walnut,_California) she set the [national high school record](/source/United_States_high_school_national_records_in_track_and_field) for the [100 metres hurdles](/source/100_metres_hurdles) at 12.95 (with an aiding wind of 1.5 mps) over full size hurdles. Just 26 days after her 17th birthday, that mark also still stands as the [World Youth Best](/source/List_of_world_youth_bests_in_athletics). Even the "best" for shorter hurdles is .13 slower. It also stands as the [American Junior Record](/source/United_States_junior_records_in_athletics), tied ten years later by collegian Cinnamon Sheffield at altitude.[1] Earlier in the 1979 season, she had set the World Youth Best for the indoor 50 metres hurdles 5.95 at a meet in [Edmonton](/source/Edmonton,_Alberta). That mark also still stands. She was *[Sports Illustrated](/source/Sports_Illustrated)* High School Athlete of the Year for 1979.[2] She was also *[Track and Field News](/source/Track_and_Field_News)* "High School Athlete of the Year."[3]

## College and Olympics

After high school, she went to [Fairleigh Dickinson University](/source/Fairleigh_Dickinson_University), where she won four [NCAA Indoor Championships](/source/NCAA_Women's_Indoor_Track_and_Field_Championship).[2]

In 1980, she qualified for the ill-fated United States Olympic team by finishing third in the [Olympic Trials](/source/1980_United_States_Olympic_Trials_(track_and_field)). Barely over age 18, she was the second youngest hurdler to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team behind [Constance Darnowski](/source/Athletics_at_the_1952_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women's_80_metres_hurdles). Years later, Young did receive one of 461 [Congressional Gold Medals](/source/List_of_Congressional_Gold_Medal_recipients) created especially for the spurned athletes.[4] [5] She finished 5th in the 1984 Olympic Trials, a step behind what looked like a 4-way tie for first place. She returned in 1988 but was unable to make it out of the semi-finals. In all three of her Olympic Trials attempts, she was bested by [Benita Fitzgerald](/source/Benita_Fitzgerald) and [Stephanie Hightower](/source/Stephanie_Hightower), who later became President of [USATF](/source/USATF).

Young remained a top level hurdler through 1989 when she set her personal best in the [60 metres hurdles](/source/60_metres_hurdles) of 8.10 at the [IAAF World Indoor Championships](/source/IAAF_World_Indoor_Championships).[6]

Under her married name of Candy Young Sanders, she is currently the associate athletic director at [Delaware State University](/source/Delaware_State_University).[2]

## References

1. ["USATF - Statistics - Records"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180915175905/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/records/view.asp?division=american&location=outdoor%20track%20%26%20field&age=junior&sport=TF). Archived from [the original](http://www.usatf.org/statistics/records/view.asp?division=american&location=outdoor%20track%20%26%20field&age=junior&sport=TF) on 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2013-02-04.

1. ["Delaware Women's Alliance for Sport and Fitness"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160422181722/http://www.dwasf.info/wisd2011.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.dwasf.info/wisd2011.html) on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2013-02-04.

1. ["Track & Field News - the Bible of the Sport Since 1948"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151126173444/http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/component/content/article/35-stats/2116-t-fn-girls-hs-aoy). Archived from [the original](http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/component/content/article/35-stats/2116-t-fn-girls-hs-aoy) on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 2015-11-26.

1. Caroccioli, Tom & Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). *Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games*. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.

1. ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20181123060342/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf). Archived from [the original](http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf) on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2013-02-03.

1. ["60 Metres Hurdles Summary | 2nd IAAF World Indoor Championships"](http://www.iaaf.org/results/iaaf-world-indoor-championships/1989/2nd-iaaf-world-indoor-championships-14/women/60-metres-hurdles/heats/summary)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Candy Young](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Young) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Young?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.