by Stuart WeirIn 2014, in Sopot, Poland, Chanelle Price won gold in the 800 meters at the World Indoor Athletics Championships. It was her her first global medal. I was there and enjoyed watching the young American athlete shine.
In 2015, I watched Chanelle pace Genzebe Dibaba to a 3:50.07 new world record at 1,500m, pushing the 800m through 2:06.
In the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, Chanelle, after battling injuries, and highs and lows in her career, ran a gutty race, setting a new PB of 1:58.73 in the final. This is part 1 of Stuart Weir’s piece on her career. Chanelle Price has decided that now, for her, is the time to retire.
We will miss her.
Chanelle Price, photo by British Athletics
Chanelle Price retirement
Chanelle Price has pulled down the curtain on her career as a middle-distance runner. The timing might seem strange given that she had an excellent 2021 season and that there is a World Championship in USA next year. She explains: “As a professional athlete, my goal was always to be an Olympian and I fell short of that this year. I don’t really have the desire to keep going to the 2024 Olympics. In the grand scheme of things, I am OK to hang up my spikes after the year that I have had. I couldn’t see myself going on the other three years. I gave the Olympic dream all I had, and now it’s time to do something else”. She added that many athletes have to retire through injury or because they lose a major sponsor. She is retiring on her terms at a time of her choosing.
Her assessment of her career is: “I’m really quite proud of myself. I started off as this child prodigy, this high school superstar. I was named the Gatorade athlete of the year in my senior year, the award they give to the top high school athlete in any sport. I took a lot of that pressure with me to college and didn’t really live up to my expectations or anyone’s expectations in college, with all the anxiety and pressure I was facing. I could easily have given up after college but I decide when I had that break-out race in Poland in 2014 winning the World Indoors, my first thought was ‘I’m so glad I didn’t give up’. But then fulfilling the dream of signing with Nike and doing this for a living, finally came true. 2015 was also great but after that I struggled for years with my health and injuries, losing my contract. It was a lot of things for many years. I could have walked away but I decided to keep fighting and I wanted to give the Olympics one more try, which I did. Even though I fell short, I’m proud of myself for never giving up. So I’m super proud’
Another important aspect of Chanelle’s life is her Christian faith: “I talked about the trouble I had because of all that pressure that I put on myself. When I was introduced to Christianity after college it made a huge difference. Because it taught me where my identity is. I’m not Chanelle Price the runner, which is how I saw myself for many years. That’s what I do, it’s not who I am. I am Chanelle Price the child of God. That switch of mindset was very freeing. I was a completely different runner and the pressure was lifted off my shoulders.
“Later in my career when I was going through all those trials with my health and injuries, there’s no doubt in my mind that it was my faith in God that got me through. That was what enabled me to keep trying and keep fighting, knowing that God was with me every step of the way. And I just had this burning feeling that I wasn’t done yet on the track. Knowing that God wasn’t done with me yet helped me to keep going. The two biggest roles that my faith has played are this switch of identity and the strength to keep going in my athletics career”.
She will still be involved in the sport – just no longer competing. She is Director of Operations for the track team at UAB (University of Alabama in Birmingham), a behind the scenes role, helping with travel and recruiting. Now she wants share some of her experience with younger athletes. Her role allows her to build relationships with the women on the team and be a kind of mentor. She explains: “I have a passion for student athletes. The NCAA system we have in America is unique. It’s a wonderful opportunity but there’s also a lot of pressure that is put on these athletes. A lot of my pressure, I put on myself. I want to work with young athletes in some capacity. I’m not quite sure yet what, whether coaching or advising or as a counselor”.
In Part 2 Chanelle recalls some of her career highlights.
