Kim Batten set a world record in the women's 400-meter hurdles en route to a gold medal in the 1995 World Championships in Helsinki. She was the Olympic silver medalist the following year, erasing the disappointment of narrowly missing making the U.S. team in 1992, and added a silver at the World Championships in 1997. She was a six-time U.S. champion as well and also competed in the 2000 Olympics.
Batten had an emergency appendectomy in 1995 just three weeks before winning at the U.S. championships, setting up her record-setting victory at the worlds. Batten began her track career as a sophomore at East High School, but quit the team before the end of the season. She returned as a junior and won a state championship in her signature event. She attended Florida State University and later made her home in Tallahassee, Fla.