Former UK sprinter impresses Grammy Award-winning rapper, advances on ‘The Voice’

Former University of Kentucky sprinter Chloe Abbott advanced to the next round of this season’s “The Voice” after a performance that caught the attention of a Grammy Award-winning rapper.

Abbott, a six-time All-American during her collegiate track career at UK and Purdue, sang a rendition of the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love” during her blind audition. It took less than 30 seconds for Chance the Rapper to rotate his chair and select Abbott onto his team.

“Welcome to ‘The Voice,’ but more importantly, welcome to Team Chance,” Chance the Rapper said after hearing Abbott’s performance.

After Abbott’s performance, Chance the Rapper compared Abbott’s talents to Anita Baker and Norah Jones, both of which have won Grammys previously. Abbott now joins Chance the Rapper’s team and moves on to the battle rounds of the competition.

While at UK, Abbott was a two-time First Team All-American. At the 2019 NCAA outdoor championships, she finished second in the 400-meter dash in a time of 50.98 seconds, which is her personal best, according to World Athletics.

A few months before at the indoor national championship meet, Abbott helped guide UK’s 4x400-meter relay team to an eighth place finish. Faith Ross, Masai Russell and Abby Steiner were the other members of that All-American relay team.

Abbott also ran for Purdue her freshman and sophomore seasons, where she was a four-time All-American.

Abbott is also a professional runner for On Running. She told the coaches of “The Voice” that she’s training for the 2024 Olympic Games.