Charles Austin

Charles Austin was a high jumper who competed at three Olympic Games, highlighted by his 1996 gold medal. Austin jumped in college at Southwest Texas State, winning the NCAA title in 1990, after finishing second in 1989. In addition to his Olympic gold, Austin won gold at the 1991 World Championships, the 1997 World Indoor Championships, and the 1998 World Cup. He was a six-time USA Outdoor Champion, winning consecutively from 1995-2000, and he won the US Indoor title in 1996, 1997, and 2003. He also added a silver medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

In 1991 Austin set the US record 7-10½ (2.40), which has stood through 2018. As of this writing (2018), he also holds the US indoor record 7-10 (2.39), set in 1996. After his US record, he went through knee problems and had surgery in 1993, and was told he would never jump again, but returned to win multiple international and national titles.

Austin later returned to school to earn an MBA. He settled in San Marcos, Texas, where he started coaching and in 2002 opened So High Sports and Fitness Studio, a sports performance and personal training company, and in 2008 he added So High Sports and Fitness Performance Centre. He was inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017.

Personal Best: HJ – 2.40 (1991).