Sharrieffa Barksdale was born and raised in Harriman, Tenn. Her track career started on the Harriman High School girls’ track team where she was named high school All-American. At the University of Tennessee, she was a 12-time All-American, won 11 SEC titles and was part of the 1981 Women’s AIAW Outdoor National Championship team winning the Lady Vols’ first national championship in women’s athletics.
In 1982, Barksdale became the first woman in the history of the 400-meter hurdles to run under 55 seconds. She broke the American record and won a silver medal at the 1983 Pan American Games. She made the first World Championship team in Helsinki, Finland, and later the United States Olympic Team, placing ninth overall at the 1984 Olympic Games.
Following the 1984 Olympic Games, she was honored by her hometown of Harriman with the Keys to the City, a street named after her and the high school track named “Sharrieffa Barksdale Track.” Sharrieffa continued to represent the United States in competitions around the world for over 15 years. In 2008, she competed in the USATF Masters and was awarded the Masters Athlete of the Year by the USATF Kentucky Association.
Barksdale is currently the Senior Manager of USA Track and Field Alumni Relations. She is also the owner of One-on-One Training Academy and co-founder of Born 2 Be Elite with four-time Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin.