Sha’Keela Saunders competed in the IAAF Diamond League meet in London and placed ninth.

The former Team WAR standout participated in the long jump and jumped a distance of 20-9, which placed her at ninth. Unfortunately for Saunders, that did not qualify her for the finals in London.

Her personal best jump is 22-7 while at the University of Kentucky. Nevertheless, Saunders was excited for the opportunity to be able to represent her country.

The IAAF Diamond League is an annual track and field series that invites elite athletes from all around the world to compete. It is a championship style, which means there are several events. Saunders qualified for London with her performance in the Lausanne meet in Switzerland. In the meets, the athletes are expected to score points and have to place first through eighth to advance to the finals.

Had she qualified for the Diamond League meet final, Saunders could have competed for $50,000 in prize money. Prior to the London meet, Saunders had felt like her international performances had been very pedestrian. She felt she could do better, which was evident by how well she competed in her senior year at Kentucky.