In the summer of 2021, Team USA decathlete, Harrison Williams, limped out of the Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon injured, wearing an orthopedic walking boot, in a crushing 4th place. Surgery three months later brought training to a halt.
Fast forward to the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships, and Harrison was back at Hayward Field with two things at stake: earn one of three spots on Team USA to compete in the decathlon at the World Championships, and prove what he knew he could do – win. This time, Harrison strode out of the stadium with a new personal best of 8630 and the gold medal.
TAKEOFF caught up with Harrison a week after the meet to talk about perseverance and how he used the injury to learn to trust himself. The interview is on page 14.
ClubHub features two outstanding seniors from Pole Vault Carolina, Ayana Jackson and Cooper Thomas. Their stories begin on page 8.
Recruited goes international this issue as Leah Granger interviewed Larissa Birtch who now attends the University of Windsor in Canada. Larissa’s story is on page 11.
Dietician Summer McNeill always has useful information for pole vaulters to take care of their health. In this issue, Summer covers the gut microbiome and the benefits of pre and probiotics on page 12
Antonio San Miguel retired from pole vault at 13 years old and returned to the sport this year to represent Puerto Rico. Antonio has to do things his own way. His story is on page 24.
We swapped out Coach’s Critique this issue for Jack Tan’s Technique Takedown. Flip to page 20 to see the posters Jack created for our club, so all the vaulters can master their drills.
Thank you for joining us for issue #13!
