Roisin Willis (born August 6, 2004) is an American middle-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 800 meters at the 2022 World Under-20 Championships, adding second title for the women's 4x400 m relay.
Willis is a two-time NCAA champion.
Personal life
Her mother is Irish track athlete Breeda Dennehy-Willis, who competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Willis attended Stevens Point High School in Wisconsin. After graduation from high school, she attended Stanford University, where she participates in cross country and track and field.
Career
Willis was successful as a high-school athlete. She is the U.S. high-school indoor 800 meters record holder. Her outdoor mark of 2:00.78 recorded in 2021 is a U.S. under-18 record. She holds Wisconsin state records in 400 m, 800 m and 1600 m. Willis qualified to run in the 2020 US Olympic trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, after running 2:00.78 for the 800 m at the Trials of Miles New York City. At the Olympic trials she reached the semi-finals, finishing 13th.
She took silver in the 800 m at the 2022 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, Two months later, she won the event at the World U20 Championships held in Cali, Colombia, breaking the championship record with a personal best of 1:59.13. It was the first time she ran sub-two minutes in an 800 m race. She added gold for the women's 4 x 400 m relay with an official split time of 51.34.
Collegiate Career
As a freshman at Stanford, Willis won the 800m in a time of 1:59.93 at the NCAA Indoor T&F Championships in Albuquerque, NM, setting a personal best, and meet and facility records in the process. She was also a member of the Stanford team that won the distance medley relay. That same year at the NCAA Outdoor T&F Championships she finished 4th in the 800m. Following her freshman year, she signed an NIL deal with New Balance prior to competing at the US Track and Field Championships.