Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Michelle Harrison could have easily given up on the Olympic dream.
Injuries had mounted, obstructing her running lane.
She had gone through various coaches along the way.
She could have quit. She could have moved on with her life.
Instead, she kept on clearing hurdles, one after another, after another, after another.
And here she is, about to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. At age 31, this will be her very first Olympics — and, as she points out, her last one.
When Harrison, a Saskatoon Evan Hardy and University of Saskatchewan Huskies alumnus, finally qualified for the Olympics, it was a huge relief as much as anything else.
“It means a lot,” she admits. “I’ve been working towards this goal for a long time, so to finally be able to overcome everything, it makes it even more special.”
The three-time Canadian 100-metre hurdles champion will don the red and white of Team Canada in Paris this summer after officially qualifying at the Olympic Trials at the end of June in Montreal.
“I’m extremely happy for her, excited and proud — the very common word to describe it all,” says coach Jason Reindl.
“With Michelle being a national team member back in 2009, and then having a rollercoaster of successes and setbacks, seeing her just achieve this goal … every track and field athlete kind of sets the Olympics on that pedestal for achievement, so getting her to accomplish that and to see her just checking the box means quite a lot.”
A big relief?
“Yes,” Harrison, formerly Michelle Young, admits. “The last weeks leading up to the end of the qualification period were kind of stressful, but to actually find out I made it was definitely a huge weight off my shoulders.”
“Yeah, it was not the smoothest of competitions schedule we had here in 2024,” adds Reindl. “You know, the buildup to an Olympic Games is extremely stressful and while we had a lot of discussions and tried to re-affirm the processes and the times will come, the pressure was definitely pretty evident in the final couple of weeks. Now that we’ve kind of checked that box, there’s definitely a looseness. She’s standing a little bit taller without that qualification weight on her shoulders.”
There were a lot of hurdles in the way, but self-doubt was not necessarily one of them.
“I think it was a gut feeling,” she says, when asked what kept driving her. “I just had a lot of things that were going on when I was a little bit younger, but deep down, I kind of knew there was more there and I think that just kept me going, and I also just enjoy doing the sport. There’s that too.”
While there are spring hurdlers who are in their mid-30s competing in the Olympics and Harrison could go on for another four years, “I’m not going to,” she is quick to say. “No. There are just other things I want to do. I’m ready to move on.”
LOOKING FOR PB, AND LANE IN THE FINAL
On a clear and sunny July day in Saskatoon, Harrison had the Gordie Howe Sports complex track practically to herself. Music played in the background. The only other sound would be cleats gripping the track.
After the conditions in June were wet, windy and colder than normal, the first few weeks of July proved to be much more training-friendly.
“Ideally, training outdoors is a big advantage, but this year, because of the weather, I did have to do quite a bit indoor,” she pointed out. “It is mostly just a factor on my mood. On rainy days, I don’t have quite the motivation as I do a sunny day like today, but it’s just something you have to work through.”
Reindl, head coach of the U of S Huskies track and field team, has helped to motivate her, too.
“He’s played, like, a big role to where I am today,” Harrison said. “One of the major things I struggled with up until I started working with him was finding the right coach. I had a lot of coaches that I just didn’t really work well with and I ended up injured. Working with him, we just have a really good communication with each other and we figure out what the best is for me. It’s just been a major factor in my success”
Harrison said she dabbled with a “bit of everything” throughout high school but it eventually “clicked” that hurdles were her event.
“I think it’s just having a goal and working towards it,” she said. “I’m very much goal-orientated so that’s kind of one of the biggest things. Even when I’m done (competing), I don’t know what I’m going to do fitness-wise because I don’t think I could just go to the gym and just work out for fun. I need something to work towards, just how I am.”
OLYMPIC EVENT RUNS WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
Harrison, who left Saskatoon for Europe on July 26, joined Canada’s Olympic track and field contingent in Barcelona, Spain for a week before arriving in Paris on Aug. 3.
The women’s 100-metre hurdles event runs Wednesday to Saturday this week.
“I haven’t raced in good conditions in a very long time, but I think that if things click for me with a little better conditions, things will be good on the day,” Harrison said.
Although the calibre and competition is the same as the world championship, the Olympics have become the ultimate event.
A bigger stage, a bigger spotlight.
“I don’t exactly know this and it’s kind of why I question it myself,” Harrison admits. “So many people think it’s like an amazing (achievement) but I did make the world championship the year before. It’s just not the same reaction. I don’t really know why.
“The competition level is exactly the same as the world championships. It’s just more like the whole Olympic experience and the history behind the Olympics. A lot of athletes dream about going to the Olympics; they maybe don’t dream about going to the world championship.”
Harrison headed to Paris ranked 37th in the world, but her goal is a personal-best and to reach Saturday’s final.
“My training has been going really well though,” she said. “It was just the mental part I was struggling with a little bit, just with the stress of making the Olympics. I think that, now that the weight is off my shoulders, I’m ready to run a personal-best at the Olympics.
“I’ve always placed a lot better at major championships than I’ve been coming in ranked. A couple of years ago, I came 14th even though I was ranked 39th, so I don’t really look at that. But the last two years at the world championships, I’ve made the semi-finals. So I would like to improve on that and make the finals this year.”
Reindl, who is also making his Olympic debut, believes that’s a realistic goal.
“I truly believe she can make the final and the adage is kind of, ‘If you’ve got a lane, anything can happen.’ So we’re definitely looking at it as three races. First round qualification, then semi-finals making it, and then, the next day, preparing for that evening final, which I think is definitely doable.
“She has put together a string of workouts and events (in July) that shows (a PB) is just around the corner. Now, with kind of the excitement of the Games, the motivation of having a fast track, and a Team Canada singlet, I think it’s there and I’d be surprised if she didn’t shock a few people along the way, also.”
dzary@postmedia.com
