Grace Juliette Claxton Joseph (born August 19, 1993) is a Puerto Rican hurdler and sprinter. She won the 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 Ibero-American Championships. She competed at the 2016 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
Career Claxton finished 13th in the 400 meters at the 2011 Central American and Caribbean Championships. She also competed in the 400 metres at the 2012 World Junior Championships and advanced into the semifinals, where she finished 16th. At the 2013 Central American and Caribbean Championships, she placed ninth in the 400 meters. She then finished fourth in the 400 meters at the 2014 NACAC U23 Championships.
Claxton represented Puerto Rico at the 2015 Pan American Games in the 4 × 400 metres relay, finishing sixth. At the 2016 World Indoor Championships, she advanced into the 400 metres semifinals and finished 11th. At the 2016 NCAA Championships East Preliminary Round, she ran the 400 metres hurdles in 55.90 seconds and met the entry standard for the 2016 Summer Olympics. There, she finished third in her heat with a time of 56.40 and advanced into the semifinals. She ran a personal best of 55.85 in the semifinals but did not advance into the finals.
At the 2017 World Championships, Claxton advanced into the 400 metres hurdles semifinals and placed 16th. She then finished 27th in the 400 metres at the 2018 World Indoor Championships. At the 2019 Pan American Games, she finished sixth in the 400 metres hurdles with a time of 56.04.
Claxton won a bronze medal in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2022 Ibero-American Championships. She then competed at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and finished 26th in the 400 metres hurdles heats."400 Metres Hurdles Women - Round 1 – Summary", World Athletics, 19 July 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2025. She won the 400 metres hurdles title at the 2024 Ibero-American Championships with a time of 55.41.
Claxton qualified to represent Puerto Rico at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 400 metres hurdles but failed to advance from the repechage round."Athletics – Women's 400m Hurdles – Repechage Round – Results Summary", Olympics.com, 5 August 2024. Archived 15 August 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025. She finished 34th in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2025 World Athletics Championships."Summary – 400m Hurdles Women – Round 1", World Athletics, 15 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
Personal life Claxton graduated from the University of Albany with a bachelor’s degree in public health and a minor in business in 2017. She has a son who was born in 2023.
Competition record Representing 2011Central American and Caribbean ChampionshipsMayagüez, Puerto Rico13th (h)400 m54.765th4 × 400 m relay3:39.372012World Junior ChampionshipsBarcelona, Spain16th (sf)400 m54.422013Central American and Caribbean ChampionshipsMorelia, Mexico9th (h)400 m53.984th4 × 400 m relay3:38.132014NACAC U23 ChampionshipsKamloops, Canada4th400 m53.552015Central American ChampionshipsManagua, Nicaragua1st14 × 400 m relay3:35.71Pan American GamesToronto, Canada6th4 × 400 m relay3:33.162016World Indoor ChampionshipsPortland, United States11th (sf)400 m53.67Olympic GamesRio de Janeiro, Brazil14th (sf)400 m hurdles55.852017World ChampionshipsLondon, United Kingdom16th (sf)400 m hurdles56.402018World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, United Kingdom27th (h)400 m53.92Central American and Caribbean GamesBarranquilla, Colombia8th400 m hurdles56.775th4 × 400 m relay3:33.652019Pan American GamesLima, Peru6th400 m hurdles56.045th4 × 400 m relay3:32.032022Ibero-American ChampionshipsLa Nucía, Spain3rd400 m hurdles55.66World ChampionshipsEugene, United States26th (h)400 m hurdles56.40NACAC ChampionshipsFreeport, Bahamas4th400 m hurdles56.372024World Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom20th (h)400 m54.62Ibero-American ChampionshipsCuiabá, Brazil1st400 m hurdles55.41Olympic GamesParis, France15th (rep)400 m hurdles55.942025NACAC ChampionshipsFreeport, Bahamas5th400 m hurdles55.67World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan34th (h)400 m hurdles56.142026Ibero-American ChampionshipsLima, Peru1st400 m hurdles55.74Central American and Caribbean GamesSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic2nd400 m hurdles55.403rd4 × 400 m relay3:29.30 1Out of competition performance
Personal bests All information taken from World Athletics profile. Outdoor 200 metres – 24.38 (-0.6 m/s, Ponce 2013) 400 metres – 53.42 (Ponce 2014) 400 metres hurdles – 55.85 (Rio de Janeiro 2016) Indoor 400 metres – 52.89 (Boston 2016)
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