How coming home to Saskatoon helped hurdler Michelle Harrison qualify for her first Olympics
Harrison is one of 3 Sask. athletes competing in track and field events in Paris
Saskatoon may not be the first place that comes to mind as a hotbed for breeding track and field Olympians, but hurdler Michelle Harrison says coming home helped her qualify for her first Olympics.
Next month, Harrison will compete for Canada in the 100-metre hurdles, fulfilling her lifelong dream of competing on the sport's biggest stage.
Coming out of high school Harrison left the province to pursue training opportunities but struggled to find her stride. She returned to Saskatoon in 2017, unsure if she would continue competing in the sport.
"It took me a while to be able to find a training environment that worked well for me," Harrison said.
"Luckily I was able to have success training here in Saskatoon, because I was always pushed away from Saskatoon [when I was] really young, but I ended up doing my best running here."
The three-time national champion had to overcome many obstacles on and off the track to qualify for her first Olympics at 31 years old.
WATCH | Hurdler Michelle Harrison fulfilling lifelong dream of competing on sport's biggest stage:
They included various injuries and years of competing with undiagnosed relative energy deficiency in sport, or REDS. That condition results from an imbalance in the energy the athlete takes in from food compared to the energy they're expending during exercise.
"I don't know if I would have been where I am today without all that — it definitely just made me a stronger person, and it made everything kind of a lot more worthwhile in the end," Harrison said.
Harrison said Saskatchewan's tight knit track and field community supporting her through the highs and lows played a role in helping to take her track and field career to the next level.
That includes fellow Evan Hardy Collegiate graduate and her personal coach Jason Reindl.
Reindl said Harrison's story of resilience is inspirational because most track and field athletes are in their prime during their 20s.
"It's kind of flipping the script. It's kind of reinforcing that there aren't hard-written rules in regards to when you have to retire, whether it's post-pregnancy or into your 30s, the most important thing is just health," said Reindl, who is also head coach of the University of Saskatchewan's track and field team.
In Paris, Harrison hopes to run a personal best, have the chance to race for a medal and show the power of never giving up on your dreams.
From small-town Sask. to the Olympics
Harrison won't be the only hurdler from Saskatchewan competing in Paris.
Savannah Sutherland's Olympic aspirations started while watching the track and field events at 2016 Rio Games on TV at her home in Borden, Sask.
"I think that's when my Olympic dreams kind of started, which was a bit of a lofty goal because I only started track about a week before that," Sutherland said.
"I knew I was fast for Borden, but I didn't know what that meant in terms of Saskatchewan or Canada, or even the world."
Fast forward eight years, and Sutherland is now the Canadian record-holder in the indoor and outdoor 400-metre hurdles. She is set to make her Olympic debut next month at 20 years old.
"I'm here with some of the greats and it's easy to get a little bit star-struck seeing who's at the track with you," Sutherland said.
"So this year I think something that I have really been working on is just knowing that I do belong in these spaces and that I am competitive even though I am young."
Sutherland said the support from Borden, a village of about 300 people northwest of Saskatoon, has been amazing throughout her track and field career.
WATCH | Savannah Sutherland sets a Canadian record at NCAA Outdoor Championship:
"Everyone kind of talks about how it takes a village to get there, and in my case, it took a literal village to get to where I am today. I know that I wouldn't be the person that I am or the athlete that I am without each and every one of them," Sutherland said.
"Once they found out that I made the Olympic team, they put a sign up outside of the town. I've just been getting so many messages from them and it's been overwhelming, the amount of support from each and every one of them."
Sutherland spends most of her year running track at the University of Michigan but spends time in Saskatoon during the summer training with other athletes from the province, including Harrison.
"All throughout the year, as I'm checking my own results on the Road to Paris website, I'm also checking Michelle's and seeing if she's in there. The fact that we were both able to do it means everything," Sutherland said.
Like Harrison, Sutherland is aiming to run her fastest race ever in Paris and make it to an Olympic final.
Pole vaulter with Sask. roots heading to 3rd Olympics
Despite being born and raised in Texas, Anicka Newell is choosing to represent Canada in the pole vault at the Paris Olympics. That's because she feels a deep connection to Saskatoon, where she spent summers with her mom's side of the family.
"I'll be out there competing with Canada across my chest, with a flag like on my uniform. That's just such an honour," Newell said. "Not only do I want to make my Canadian family proud, like I want to make the whole country proud."
The 30-year-old loves pole-vaulting because she feels it's the closest she can feel to flying.
Paris won't be Newell's first rodeo at the Olympics. She competed in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020 but wasn't satisfied with her results.
"I've had those years of experience and been on the big stage multiple times at this point, like I kind of know how to handle the pressure and what to expect," Newell said. "I want a medal so bad — that would be a dream come true for me."
Newell hopes having three athletes with Saskatchewan roots compete at the Olympics can put a spotlight on the province's track and field talent.
"[We] hope to bring more eyes and more promotion to the area," Newell said.
["The reason] why so many people go to different areas to train is because you want the best facilities and the best coaches so hopefully we can, by representing, bring that to Saskatchewan one day."
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with files from Theresa Kliem