Isabella Whittaker

Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(2002-02-15)February 15, 2002 (age 23)
Home town	Laurel, Maryland, U.S.
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Sprint
Achievements and titles
Personalbest(s)	200m: 23.18 (Princeton, 2024) 400m: 49.24 (Virginia Beach, 2025)
Medal record Women'sathletics Representing United States World Championships 2025 Tokyo 4 × 400 m relay

Isabella Whittaker (born February 15, 2002) is an American sprinter. She is theNorth American indoor record holder for the 400 m dash with a time of 49.24 seconds, set on March 15, 2025, inVirginia Beach.^[1]

She grew up inLaurel, Maryland. She was a competitive swimmer as a youngster and it was not until high school that she started running track. She attendedMount De Sales Academy, a private Catholic all–girls high school inBaltimore. In 2020 she started at theUniversity of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2024.^[2][3][4] In April 2024, she was announced to be matriculating to theUniversity of Arkansas as a member of their Track and Field team and graduate student.^[5] As of April 2025, she was announced as a Grand Slam Track Challenger.

She ran a personal best of 50.17 seconds to finish fifth in the final of the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor final inEugene, Oregon in June 2024.^[6]

She ran 50.48 seconds to qualify for the final of theAmerican Olympic trials in June 2024.^[7] In the final she finished sixth with a time of 50.68 seconds.^[8] In July 2024 she was included in the American relay pool for the2024 Paris Olympics.^[9]

On 1 March 2025, she moved to seventh on the women’s world indoor 400m all-time list after running 49.90 at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in Texas.^[10] On March 15, 2025, she moved to second all-time on the women's world indoor 400m list with an American and NCAA Record time of 49.24 to win the2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach.^[11][12] The time betteredBritton Wilson's North American record set in 2023, and placed her second only behindFemke Bol of the Netherlands.^[13]

At the second2025 Grand Slam Track event inMiami she finished fourth in the 400 metres with a time of 50.38 seconds on 2 May 2025.^[14] She then finished third in the 200 metres race in her category with a time of 22.76 seconds.^[15] She ran 49.58 seconds to win the 400 metres at the2025 Bislett Games, inOslo, and 49.78 seconds to win at the2025 BAUHAUS-galan event in Stockholm, both part of the2025 Diamond League.^[16][17] She placed third behindSydney McLaughlin-Levrone andAaliyah Butler in the 400 metres at the2025 Prefontaine Classic.^[18] She qualified for the final of the 400 metres at the2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, running winning her semi-final in 50.07 seconds, finishing second in the final behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in 49.59 seconds.^[19][20] Competing in Switzerland, she finished third at the2025 Athletissima in wet conditions in Lausanne, and placed sixth in the 400 metres at theDiamond League Final in Zurich, in August 2025.^[21][22]

Competing at the2025 World Athletics Championships inTokyo, she was a semi-finalist in thewomen's 400 metres.^[23]

Her parents Paul and Jill, both ran in college. Paul was a mid-distance runner and Jill was a hurdler. One of four siblings, her sisterJuliette Whittaker competes as amiddle-distance runner.^[24]

• Isabella Whittaker atWorld Athletics
• Isabella Whittaker atUniversity of Pennsylvania
• Isabella Whittaker atwww.USATF.org
• Isabella Marie Whittaker atOlympics.com

• 2002 births
• Living people
• Track and field athletes from Maryland
• Penn Quakers women's track and field athletes
• American women sprinters
• African-American Catholics
• 21st-century American sportswomen
• World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
• World Athletics Championships winners
• LGBTQ track and field athletes

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from July 2024