Back from Budapest and her first World Athletics Championships, Brooke Overholt has earned some time away from the track.
The St. Marys native returned to Nashville this week after competing in the 400-metre hurdles in Hungary. A busy track and field season included competing at the Canadian championships, finishing second, and wrapped up with the dream of competing for Canada in the sport she loves.
"I was feeling confident and felt prepared going into the meet, I felt I was ready," Overholt told StratfordToday. "I was hoping to run a faster time or run closer to a PB or set a new PB, but I was a little bit off."
The 23-year-old ran a time of 56.20 seconds, which was not fast enough to get out of the heats at the worlds. Overholt stayed for the entirety of the event; her hurdles heat was early on and she was a part of the eight person 4x400-metre relay team, standing by in case other athletes couldn't compete.
Being part of the Canadian team and in the capital of Hungary was an experience Overholt won't soon forget. She stayed in the same hotel with some of the sport's elite, including Femke Bol, who won the 400-metre hurdles title in Budapest and Armand (Mondo) Duplantis - gold medallist and world record holder in the men's pole vault.
"People who you have watched on television," Overholt said.
Everything was on a higher level than Overholt was accustomed to, including competing in the NCAA for Cornell University (undergrad) and Vanderbilt University, where she finished up a Master's in Education in Human Development just before leaving for the world championships.
"It was a completely new environment. Just a huge venue (National Athletics Centre). Thousands of people watching every night, there was so much energy."
It was the culmination of a lot of work over the years and family commitments. Overholt credited her parents Jody and Terry Overholt for their support.
Soccer was her first love, but she started track and field in Grade 9 and excelled right away, initially in sprints, long jump and triple jump.
A friend suggested hurdling and she would bring home a few provincial medals in that pursuit while at St. Michael Catholic Secondary School. She also found success with London Legion Track and Field Club.
Overholt was an Ivy League champion in a storied career at Cornell, earning a degree in Nutritional Sciences. She was fourth in the NCAA championships this past June in the 400-metre hurdles for Vanderbilt, located in Nashville.
Nashville remains home for now as Overholt starts a job search, and will soon get back to work with coach Justin Byron.
"I have a few weeks off of training, which is nice for the body and the mind."
Soon enough, Overholt will be back on the track, with a focus on getting some good results and qualifying for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
"I wont be able to run track forever, so I want to keep running now, see how fast I can run, how far I can get."
