A Conversation with Olympic Champion Hurdler Dawn Harper-Nelson

Growing up in a rough East Saint Louis neighborhood, Dawn Harper-Nelson knows something about overcoming the odds. But her natural leaping ability and speed put her on the proverbial fast track to follow in the footsteps of another hometown hero—Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

While not many expected much from her at the 2008 Beijing Games, Harper-Nelson again defied the odds with a gold medal performance in the 100-meter hurdles and won proved it wasn’t a fluke by repeating the feat at the 2011 World Championships and then taking the silver medal at the 2012 London Games.

In this conversation, Harper-Nelson talks about growing up in East Saint Louis, how injuries drew her closer to God and how winning gold in 2008 proved to be an enlightening experience:

Chad Bonham: When you were growing up in East Saint Louis, how much of your journey as an athlete was influenced by Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s legacy?

Dawn Harper-Nelson: When I was working out at the track, she would come and visit all the time. I’ll never forget the time that she came to me and said she saw something special in me and that I could go really far. So going through elementary, junior high and high school, Jackie Joyner was the known name.

Bonham: We often hear about how East Saint Louis and how tough it is to live there. Is that an accurate portrayal or is it sometimes exaggerated?

Harper-Nelson: It was tough. I wouldn’t say that people exaggerate about East Saint Louis. But it really depends on the parents and the way they raise their kids. There are just certain things you don’t want you’re kids around. There are certain neighborhoods in any community that might not be the safest, but for me, it wasn’t as tough because my mom made sure I stayed involved in positive things and my dad was a positive influence in my life and he made sure I didn’t fall into the trap of getting involved with the wrong kind of people. They also always told me that I had to have my grades right if I wanted to run track.

Bonham: When did you first get involved in track?

Harper-Nelson: It was about the time I was going into the seventh grade.

Bonham: When did you start to realize that you had potential to go far?

Harper-Nelson: I started to do hurdles in the eighth grade. That’s when I realized it was something special for me. When I started running in seventh grade, it was fun and I liked it, but I usually the third place girl. Then when I started to run with the hurdles, the light bulb came on and I was unbeatable. So my first year in high school, I ran at the state meet against the defending champion. She was a senior and I beat her and broke the record. So I realized, “Okay, I may be pretty good at this.” That’s when I realized I wanted to buckle down and do this for real.

Bonham: What led to your decision to go to UCLA?

Harper-Nelson: I don’t know exactly how UCLA came into the picture for me but I think I was mostly looking for a place that had great academics and a great track program. I was looking for a school that had the overall picture. My mom really stressed to me that I needed to keep up my grades in case track didn’t work out. And then when I went to visit UCLA, I was sold and they offered a full ride (scholarship) and that’s all I needed. That’s when I started hearing, “Well, that’s where Jackie Joyner-Kersee went and she was great so maybe you can do it too.” And I was like, “Oh Lord, what have I done to myself?” But it was good to have that (pressure) on me because I had to stay focused every day.

Bonham: How big of a role has Bob Kersee (Jackie’s husband) played in your development as an athlete?

Harper-Nelson: When I graduated in 2006, no shoe companies were offering me a deal. They offered me equipment but nothing that I could really live off. So Bob Kersee came to me and wanted me to keep my dream going. I didn’t have money to pay him and I worked three jobs and he still coached me. He believed in me and told me everyday, “I believe you have this gift.” And he gave me a hundred percent as a coach every time we were at the track.

Bonham: Tell me about your faith journey.

Harper-Nelson: My faith was definitely a part of me growing up. I went to church on Sundays, but I knew that God was real in my life. A lot of people start to look towards God when they get hurt, and when I hurt myself as a sophomore and had knee surgery, the doctors told me I would probably never run as fast again. I was only 15 years old and track was what I wanted to do. So when I came back from that, I realized there must be a bigger plan for me. And then, when I had knee surgery before the (2008) Olympics, that just sealed the deal. I was thinking, “There is another plan for me that I may not see for myself. I’m supposed to reach out to other people and show them what God can do because of what He’s done through me.” I knew that it was all about giving God the glory. And once I crossed the finish line, that’s the first thing that crossed my mind. A lot of people call me the “What” girl because once I won the race, you can watch the footage and see that I’m saying “What” over and over again. But what I was saying, was that

from this big ole globe, God chose this little girl from East Saint Louis out of all the kids who have said, “I want to go to the Olympics.” He knew that I could handle this—the knee surgery and all of the things that come with being an Olympic champion. He took the girl that no one thought would win. He chose me. He entrusted me with this. And after the race, I just broke down crying.

Bonham: When you won the gold medal, it seems like the coverage focused as much on the fact that Lolo Jones lost as it did on you winning. How did you deal with that interesting dynamic?

Harper-Nelson: I didn’t think much about it in the moment. But once I crossed the finish line and took my victory lap, it pretty much became reality during my interviews. The first thing they asked me was, “Did you see Lolo Jones hit the hurdle?” And I was thinking, “If I saw her, I would hit my hurdle.” Then they started to ask things like, “Where are you from?” I had made it to the finals. If someone makes it to the finals, don’t you think you should know a little about them? Because obviously they’re capable of being the best in the world. So they were asking, “Where are you from? Who is your coach?” And I remember one reporter was interviewing me and he looked down at his notebook and there was nothing on the page. So he just said, “Tell me about yourself.” But that’s where I really thanked God because no man can determine my journey. You don’t have to know me because I’ll make you know me.

Check out Chad Bonham’s book Glory of the Games featuring Olympic athletes such as Shannon Miller, Dave Johnson, Josh Davis, Tamika Catchings, Ruth Riley, Michael Chang, and Tobin Heath.

Photos courtesy of USA Olympic Team/NBC Sports.

A Conversation with U.S. Olympic Diver David Boudia

David Boudia (pronounced boh-DIE-uh) qualified for his first international diving competition at the age of 15 and hasn’t looked back since. But at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Boudia failed to win a medal in both the individual and synchro events leaving the platform specialist feeling unfulfilled and empty.

Two years later, as a sophomore at Purdue, Boudia “hit the wall” and found new meaning thanks to the evangelistic efforts of his diving coach Adam Soldati. And even though he won that elusive gold medal at the 2012 Summer Games in London, it’s something completely different that’s driving Boudia's passion for the sport.

In this conversation, Boudia talks about falling in love with the Olympics at a young age, his life changing experience at Purdue and how a newfound eternal perspective has radically transformed his approach to competition:

Bonham: You got your start in gymnastics. Is that typical for most divers?

Boudia: It’s very typical. When I was seven, I had a goal to make it to the Olympic Games. I played a lot of different sports and tried a lot of different things and I thought I’d go in gymnastics. That’s what I put a lot of my focus on. I did soccer and cross country and baseball. I was kind of the average American jock but I lost passion in gymnastics and I found diving, which was the next best thing to feed my adrenaline.

Bonham: What initially drew you to diving?

Boudia: After quitting gymnastics in 2000, I was looking for that next thing where I could defy gravity. I was looking for something that had the flipping and the twisting and allowed me to be acrobatic. A friend introduced me to the sport and I took my first lesson and fell in love with it from there.

Bonham: Who were your inspirations as a diver?

Boudia: There wasn’t specifically a person I looked up to. It was more about the Olympics in general. When I was seven, I was watching with my family and just thought how cool that would be to represent your country. The Olympics is about bringing the world together and learning how to go through struggles. That’s what inspired me before my career and that’s been my inspiration ever since I was striving towards the 2008 Games.

Bonham: So was your first memory of the Olympics the 1996 Games in Atlanta?

Boudia: Yeah, that was the first Olympics that I could grasp and my family was huge Olympics fanatics. Both played into that.

Bonham: When you went to Beijing, did the experience live up to the hype?

Boudia: Don’t get me wrong. It was unbelievable to be in Beijing. But when it was all said and done, I looked back at it and had the experience of my life. It was surreal. But there was still that “wanting more” and I didn’t accomplish my goal. It was almost as if I saw Beijing as a failure even though it had been my lifelong dream to be at the Olympic Games.

Bonham: When did you start synchronized diving and what are some of the different strategies within your preparation and actual competition?

Boudia: When I started diving, that’s when it first came on to the Olympic scene. That was something that my age-group coach emphasized. It's just a matter of getting the mechanics and techniques the same. I count “one-two-three go” and that’s when it just synchs up. But when you’re first starting out, it can be very difficult because you need to have the same techniques. But after a while, it’s like you’re on automatic pilot.

Bonham: Do you enjoy one discipline over the other or is all just diving to you?

Boudia: I definitely enjoy both. They have two different mindsets. When you’re with a synchro partner, it’s a team. It’s about enjoying the competition and I get to share that with somebody else. We also get to grow from the competitions where we don’t do so well. Individual diving is more about learning what you’ve done wrong and what you’ve done right in those competitions. They both have their perks and they’re both great to experience when you’re in the moment.

Bonham: Is your attention ever divided during a competition?

Boudia: Ultimately when you have the perspective of why you’re competing and what you’re trying to pursue, the rest just falls into place. I don’t have to change my mindset. It’s still all for one purpose. It’s all about glorifying God. I approach the practices and the competitions the same. I’m at peace when I’m doing those things and it’s for God and His glory.

Bonham: When did you first start to understand who God was and what His purpose was for your life?

Boudia: I was not raised in a home that emphasized faith or emphasized a need for Christ. After 2008, I started my freshman year in college and coming off the Olympic high, I was starting this new journey by myself. I didn’t have my parents around and it was really a rebellious time in my life. It wasn’t until my sophomore year when I realized something was wrong. It was like I hit a wall and I was flat down on my face. I didn’t know what direction I was going. I started texting my coach (Adam Soldati) and he had me over the next night. I had a lot of questions about why I was here and what my purpose was. The Gospel really provided all of those answers and the fulfillment I needed. It’s definitely been a huge 180-degree change. It’s a hard walk, but I definitely don’t imagine it any other way.

Bonham: Did you know that Coach Soldati was a believer and is that what drew you to him during your struggle?

Boudia: I didn’t know what a believer was or what that even meant when I came to him. I just knew that Adam was someone I looked up to and I didn’t know why. He just provided me with a lot of wisdom. He was someone I could turn to and ask those tough questions. He was real approachable and loving. That’s why I felt like I could come to him during that time. 

Bonham: Was that a freeing moment for you and how did it impact your diving? 

Boudia: At first, I had a lot of fear of man. What would my friends think of me if I started talking about Jesus more? I really wanted to please Him but I also wanted the praise from my friends. It probably wasn’t until I really started to dive into God’s Word that I realized that this life is a speck of what eternity looks like. If I want to post something that God’s sharing with me on Twitter, then what is my fear of doing that revealing in my heart? Am I searching to please God or am I searching to please man? It probably was about a year and a half ago when I started gradually doing it but now my number one purpose in life is to please God and to love on others. I do that through social media. I do that in practice around my teammates. It stems from learning more about God’s attributes.

Bonham: Diving is one of those sports that people love to watch during the Olympics but sometimes forget about the rest of the time. How important is it for you to maximize the opportunity to not only share your sport with the masses but also shine a light for Christ?

Boudia: In 2008, diving was my god. It was a forced competition. I needed to do well there if I wanted to do well later in life. But now, I’m enjoying every moment, day by day because tomorrow’s not guaranteed. It’s more about what I’m doing to share my purpose but not forcing it on people. God is providing this platform so He can reveal Himself. Hopefully the sport will get more attention this year and hopefully God will get more attention out of the Olympics as well.

 

Pick up Chad's book Glory of the Games, featuring inspiring stories from 17 Olympic athletes (past and present) such as Shannon Miller, Tobin Heath, Laura Wilkinson, Josh Davis, Michael Chang, and Kevin Durant, by clicking HERE.

 

Check out David Boudia's brand new book with Tim Ellsworth by clicking HERE.

Photos courtesy of USA Diving.