Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawn Harper Nelson.
Hi Dawn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am from East St. Louis, IL, and attended East Saint Louis Senior High School. The main reason for being interviewed is my talent in track and field and the places it has blessed me to go. I fell in love with it at the age of 12. I was a very active child, and someone told my mom to have me try to track. From the first run, I was hooked. That is also where I met my husband, Alonzo Nelson Jr., but we were just friends. It was a hurdle race, and they had no girls for me to race, so they put me in the boy’s race, and he was the only one to beat me. From then on, we were excellent friends. I was raised in a household where grades were most important, and my parents couldn’t stress that enough. They always said you can run as fast as you want, but if you don’t get the grades, running means nothing. I won state in my first year of high school in both the 100 and 300m and broke the record in the 100. I knew then I was different and wanted to see how far track could take me. In my sophomore year, I injured my knee, tearing my PCL and meniscus. Doctors didn’t know if I would ever run as fast again, but I was determined. I returned to defend my title in both junior and senior hurdles. I was blessed with a full ride to UCLA, where my eyes were truly opened to how big track and field was and, better yet, there was more to the world. I majored in psychology and received my bachelor’s. While competing at UCLA, I knew I was the only one from my city since Jackie Joyner Kersee to attend this university. It was mentioned several times whenever I went to my hometown. I had supporters and unbelievers. My support system was amazing. They flooded me with positivity and love. At the time, the head coach, Jeannette Bolden, and volunteer coach, Bobby Kersee, ran a tight ship at UCLA. There was an expectation, and they knew their athletes were capable. I was a 7x All-American while at UCLA and still hold the indoor 60mH record holder for UCLA. After graduating, Bobby Kersee became my professional coach, raising the bar even more. We talked, and I expressed my goal to be an Olympic gold medalist. He had coached multiple medalists, including his wife, so I knew he knew how to help me. I trained for two years, unsponsored by a shoe company, to chase my dream. I worked three part-time jobs and trained to keep my dream alive.
In Feb of 2008, I injured my knee and had to have knee surgery. The dream looked bleak, but I refused to give up. I remember when the doctor told me I had to have surgery, I gave myself 60 seconds to cry, ask God why, and then it was time to get back to work. Olympic trials were just 5months away. Training was intense, but it had to be. I placed 3rd at the trials, and they only took the top 3. I traveled to Beijing as a baby and was excited that her dream was becoming a reality. I was taking East Saint Louis back to the Olympics. I won my first Olympics and balled my eyes out as I crossed the line and thought to myself, God, this little girl from East Saint Louis could handle all that would come with being an Olympic Gold medalist. During my second Olympics, London 2012, I always say I felt like a grown woman. This time, I knew what to expect, and I was going to have fun. I won a Silver medal and tied the Olympic record.
In my career, I have traveled the world, broken records, made many friends, and collected medals. I am a 4x USA Champion, World Championship Silver medalist, World Championship Bronze medalist, 4x Diamond League Champion, Continental Cup 100mH record holder, and more. I married the love of my life and best friend in 2013 while living my track dream. After juggling my career and marriage for years, I left my sport to have my first child. I always said I wanted it to be my decision of when I would walk away. Many people were confused because I was still running so well, but the desire to be someone’s mom was pulling at me more than track and field. I remember being the topic of many conversations because women often sacrifice the dream of a family for their careers. I told myself that by following my dream, I let other women know you decided your path because you can have more than one—no one else.
My beautiful daughter was born in 2019, and what do you know, the desire to run was back. After talking with my husband and family, I trained for my third Olympics. The Tokyo Olympics was postponed because of the pandemic, but we pushed through. There is a mini document series called “I am Dawn Harper-Nelson” on Discovery+ following that journey. I have been inducted into St. Louis and UCLA’s Sports Hall of Fame. I am now a broadcaster for track and field, a public speaker, and do consultant work with Universities and their athletic programs. I had our second daughter in 2022. My life has been blessed and full, but honestly, “It ain’t over yet.”
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Just saying I was from East Saint Louis was probably my first major challenge. We say we are the city of champions, but people say negative things everywhere else. My mother spoke so positively to me that I truly didn’t believe any of the outside noise, but the person who put a stamp on it for me was my track coach, Nino Fennoy. Growing up, he was like a second father, and he wouldn’t let one ounce of negativity slip in. He spoke empowering things over the track team daily and made it feel personal. I stayed in touch with him throughout my collegiate and professional career. I injured myself at 15 years old and had to have my first knee surgery. Doctors did not know if I would be able to run as fast and realized my dream could be over before it ever started. I was finding my footing at UCLA, being far from home, and walking into a classroom where I was one of the few minorities. You are told you are enough and smart enough, but it is time to practice it, and it is scary. Finding family in the track team was a saving grace. That gave me comfort.
In 2008, having to have knee surgery again, but this time, it felt like I was already behind because I trained with the defending Olympic Champion, a 2x World Champion, and a collegiate record holder, and then there was me working 3 jobs just trying to believe in myself. It was a daily mental battle because, I say, from the outside, it was no reason for me to believe in myself. They only took 3 to the Olympics, and at the time, I was 4th best in my group. I was staying the course and working on the plan my coach and I had to create. You can’t always trust what you see. That situation will always be living proof for me.
Finding out I had high blood pressure. I prided myself on having a healthy lifestyle, and boom, I got sick. It caught my husband and me off guard, and I was in denial for a while. My body is my life’s work, so it felt like I had no control. A slap in the face, I had to return to the drawing board, learn my body again, and find out I had more control over it than I thought. Retiring from the sport I have known since the age of 12. What would that look like? Will I still be enough, and who am I without it? It has been a welcomed journey with ups and downs, but I love it because, once again, it was one I chose, and it has opened the door to so many things and allowed me to grow and find more talents. I have dealt with several injuries, pressure from contracts, and the ups and downs that come from the sport. In each situation, I had to find a sound support system. If I was injured, my physical therapist, doctors, and coach mainly helped me through it, and with contracts and my sport, it was my agent and friends who understood the sport that helped me. The support system is everything.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In the previous question, I said a lot about my professional track career, but for public speaking, I absolutely love interacting with people. People bring me joy. As a young child, I liked being around family and hearing stories of how things were when they grew up, how they overcame things, and what made them tick, but I didn’t truly understand my love for people until I was a professional track athlete. I loved hearing how people conquered what they did to get to where they are and understand that our choices truly get us to where we are in life. Even if you are thrown a curve ball that has shattered your dream, how do you process that, and what do you do with that information? I found myself with my competitors while traveling overseas, coming to my room or pulling me aside to talk about their feelings and wanting to be encouraged. I have now turned that into part of my next passion, public speaking, where I travel the world to let people know that you are enough in all the ways I can express it. What I have learned through life and sport can cover many things. I enjoy going into businesses and showing them they are an athlete in their own right. You are training for a goal at the end of this quarter, year, etc. It has also morphed into working with Universities and their athletic programs and helping coaches and athletes. It’s more than just about getting better in your perspective sport. This will carry you into life. We will get better physically because that’s a huge goal and will keep them motivated, but helping them connect it mentally is the real game changer. I am proud of how I have turned my passion for working with people into assisting people to chase their dreams, whatever those look like. The testimonials, the updates, and the encouragement of hearing someone say more people need to listen to my message keep me excited. I love my hometown and hope to connect with more companies in the surrounding areas.
What are your plans for the future?
I am growing my public speaking business. I want to make more connections. Also, I want to see my husband and I’s new podcast on YouTube called “The Real Nelsons” grow. It is everything positive. There is so much out there to discourage people from believing in a healthy relationship, and our goal is to keep it open, honest, and real. I want to host my own sports show. There is so much more to sports than just showing up and competing, and Simone Biles gave the USA a glimpse of that, but the whole athlete needs to be discussed. Athletes know the good and the hard, and I want to discuss it all.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Dharp100mh
- Facebook: Dawn Harper Nelson
- Twitter: Dharp100mH
- Youtube: TheRealNelsons
Image Credits
Me in 89 Blocks sweater: Photographer Mena Darre, USA uniform: NBC, Me and my family on couch: photographer Christopher Mikals
