HR1239 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1239 LRB097 23067 GRL 71881 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Dawn Harper on the occasion of winning a silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles event at the 2012 Olympic Games in London; and

WHEREAS, Dawn Harper was born on May 13, 1984, to Henry and Linda Harper; as a young girl in East St Louis, she was drawn to athletics and was a 6-time Illinois High School State Champion by the time she graduated from high school; during her senior year of high school, UCLA Track & Field Head Coach Jeanette Bolden traveled from Los Angeles to St. Louis to personally recruit Ms. Harper, who was offered a full athletic scholarship to UCLA; and

WHEREAS, During her time at UCLA, Dawn Harper majored in psychology and eagerly trained in the 100-meter hurdles; excelling in the event quickly, she earned the 2003 U.S. Junior National Champion and Pan-American Games Champion designations in the 100m hurdles event and received All-American honors twice at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships after coming eighth in the 100m hurdles and taking second with the 4x100m relay; in 2006, she was appointed as the women's track and field team captain; by the time of her graduation in June of 2006, she was a seven-time UCLA All-American; and

WHEREAS, After college, Dawn Harper continued her career in track as a professional athlete, competing in such places as Zurich, Stockholm, Paris, London, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Beijing, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, and Germany, as well as countless locations within the United States; and

WHEREAS, By July of 2008, Dawn Harper qualified to be on the USA Olympic Team by placing 3rd in the 100-meter hurdles and traveled to Beijing in 2008; despite being 4 years younger than the average age of an Olympian and being the underdog of the 100-meter hurdles event, she ran a perfect race and surged across the finish line for a spectacular victory in 12.54 seconds; and

WHEREAS, After a lengthy rehabilitation from knee surgery in 2010, Dawn Harper returned to hurdling in April of 2011; after just four months of training and racing, she won the bronze medal at the World Championships with a personal-best of 12.47 seconds; leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she took first place at both the Diamond League Meet in Rome and the IAAF World Challenge Meet in Daegu; during the closest finish since the Atlanta Olympic Games and the deepest-ever final in terms of performances, she ran a personal best of 12.37 to capture the silver medal, only missing the gold medal by .02 seconds; and

WHEREAS, Dawn Harper serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Dawn Harper on her silver medal victory and wish her continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Dawn Harper as a symbol of our esteem and respect.