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Walking back from retirement!
A 58-year-old Pennsylvania grandmother triumphantly returned to her beloved sport after two decades when she competed for a spot on the US racewalking team over the weekend.
Michelle Rohl previously competed in the Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000. She finished 20th in 1992, 14th in 1996 and 17th in 2000. She retired to homeschool her five kids.
“My middle daughter was like, ‘Mom, you were a really good athlete. Then you had kids,” she told The Morning Call. “And then we all grew up, and you’re a great athlete again. I think we were the reason.”
On Saturday, Rohl tried to make her fourth Olympics by competiting again - this time in her late-50s - during the US’ 20-kilometer Track and Field Trials in Springfield, Oregon.
Rohl finished with a time of 1:42:27. That was good enough for third place, however, she did not meet the Olympic qualifying standard to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics, according to the official Olympic website.
“I was glad to be done, really. It would have been more rewarding if I wasn’t just trying to stay up for the last two laps,” Rohl said.
Rohl, who became a grandma just months ago, said she did not have any regrets about retiring from the sport.
“I was ready for a break and I wanted that part of my life,” she said.
Her husband, Michael, 59, who also spoke to the newspaper, said: “I’ve never known anyone who is as mentally tough as her.”
“[She] likes to run, 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,” Michael said. Later adding, “I told her, ‘You have to do this because you might inspire some other people to keep going. Like who does this? The answer is, no one else has. So just go do it and have fun doing it because you can.”
Rohl trains every day and walks 45 miles a week at an 8-minute-a-mile pace, the outlet reported.
Paris would’ve been her fourth time competing in the sporting event. She holds multiple individual age-group running records from 800 to 10,000 meters, the outlet reported. In 2023, she set the American mile record for women in the 55 to 59 age group.
Rohl continued practicing the sport through numerous hurdles. Last year, she sustained a concussion after she tripped and hit her head on a curb as she was finishing a race. Only three weeks ago, she split her chin during a race in Toronto.
She continued practicing despite the injury, she told the newspaper. “I just said, ‘I have to stay on my feet and keep going forward.’”
