Inika McPherson

Inika McPherson (born September 29, 1986, in Port Arthur, Texas) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the high jump. She was the 2013 and 2014 US Indoor champion. She also won the women's high jump at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by clearing 2.00 m to become the shortest woman to ever jump the 2 meter barrier. McPherson has many tattoos and has had a variety of hairstyles, including mohawks.

Early career
She was a 2005 graduate of Memorial High School, of Port Arthur, Texas where she was freshman state champion and a six foot high jumper as a freshman in high school. McPherson shares the freshman high school record with Amy Acuff 6 ft. Was also named ESPN female high jumper of the decade. Her high school best was 6 ft. She also excelled in the triple jump and lettered in four sports, was Texas University Interscholastic League All-State and carried a 5.0 GPA.

College
Her next stop was the University of California, Berkeley where she set the school indoor record and was a three time NCAA All American, though she didn't get back to the range of her 6'2" from high school. Due to an injury she battled with during her years at Cal which caused her to have ankle surgery on her take off foot in 2008. In 2009 McPherson came off ankle surgery and captured the Pac 10 Championship title and named female Athlete of the year at the University of California.

Professional
Personal Best: 2.00 m - 2014 USATF Outdoor Championships - Sacramento, California

She represented the United States at the 2016 Rio Olympics finishing with a 10th-place performance in the high jump final, 2007 Pan American Games, the 2011 and 2013 World Championships and the 2012 and 2014 World Indoor Championships. Also, represented the United States at the 2017 World Championships in London, the 2018 World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England, and the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Doping sanction
McPherson tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine, at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and subsequently accepted a 21-month doping ban through March 2016.

Personal life
Lives in Houston Texas. On 23 March 2024 she came out as non-binary on her Instagram.