Michelle Rohl, a 58-year-old grandmother from Pennsylvania, placed third at the Olympic trials in a sport she retired from 20 years ago.
Michelle, originally from Wisconsin, competed as a distance runner and racewalker for Team USA in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympic Games.
She retired from the sport to homeschool her five kids.
Now, with her children grown and her first grandchild born three months ago, she returned to compete in the 20-kilometer race walk at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on June 29.
Despite her impressive performance, the United States doesn’t have a spot for race walkers in Paris for the 2024 Games, so Michelle might not compete.
She completed the race in just over an hour and 42 minutes, earning her third place in Springfield, Oregon.
Michelle, who finished 20th at the 1992 Olympics, 14th in 1996, and 17th in 2000, trains every day, covering 45 miles per week at an 8-minute-per-mile pace.
She has overcome several injuries, including a concussion from a fall last year and a split chin from a race in Toronto three weeks ago.
“I just said, ‘I have to stay on my feet and keep going forward,’” Michelle said. “I was glad to be done. It would have been more rewarding if I wasn’t just trying to stay up for the last two laps.”
Grandma winning races
Michelle’s husband, Michael, admires her mental toughness. “She likes to run, she likes to compete, and it’s a lifestyle for both of us. It makes her happy, and I’m just happy to be along for the ride,” he said.
Though her “retirement” from race walking is over, Michelle has no regrets about stepping away to teach her kids, who are now ages 33 to 18. “My middle daughter said, ‘Mom, you were a really good athlete. Then you had kids. And now you’re a great athlete again. I think we were the reason,’” Michelle shared. She added, “I wanted a break and I wanted that part of my life.”
At the trials, where she was the oldest athlete competing, Michelle didn’t expect to perform as she did decades ago. Her family’s support motivated her. “I told her, ‘You have to do this because you might inspire some other people to keep going,’” Michael said. “Like who does this? The answer is, no one else has. So just go do it and have fun doing it because you can.”