Team USA women’s track has three relay races to fill spots for at the Paris Olympics. There is one woman who decides who will make the cut and who won’t. She is Olympian and Frisco-resident, Mechelle Freeman.
Freeman walked NBC 5 through the arduous tasks of choosing these teams with such a short window to get the right women in place for the right races.
“It’s all about preparation. If you are prepared, you can navigate any nervousness that you might be feeling,” Freeman said. “We have a very short amount of time to work together. We have Relay Camp for five days right before the Olympics start and during that time, we’ll have actual practice. That practice is where we will measure how fast we’re moving that baton around the track, making sure we’re watching our film sessions to see how we can get better and feeling as best prepared as possible.”
She was named as the Head Women’s Relays Coach after leading her teams to record breaking and medal winning performances at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and World Championships in 2022 and 2023.
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That work with those relay teams has also meant she has worked closely with Dallas-native Sha’Carri Richardson.
“Three words to describe Sha’Carri. Explosive, dynamic, showstopper. That’s what she did at [U.S. Olympics] Trials. Sha’Carri doesn't disappoint. What's good about her, she knows how to make adjustments. She knows how to show up and you can depend on her to get the job done,” Freeman said.
Freeman knows what kind of pressure these athletes are under. She experienced that same pressure as she competed on the 4x100m relay team in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
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“Unfortunately, we were disqualified for dropping the baton. So, we have some mishaps on the women’s side coming off of last year. We know that. We got the silver medal in the 4x100, but we also have some great things as well. We’re returning gold medalists in the 4x400m and the mixed relay. We want to make sure we establish our presence there and ultimately, getting the gold,” Freeman said.
She said the tension continues into their trip to Paris as the team will not be picked until soon before the relay.
“It’s always a game time decision. The morning of the championships in Budapest, I changed the order. I just felt like it was something we needed to do. I will know when I need to know,” Freeman said.
Freeman is also one of the coaches who was interviewed for the Netflix docuseries "Sprint", that follows the lives of some of the fastest athletes in the world leading up to the World Championships. Which she said was an incredible experience, be able to tell the behind the scenes part of the athlete's journey.
"It's always good to see how they put such a great story together and is watching it from the backside. The athletes invest so much into the sport. There is so much that goes into the results from the coaching side. It was just good to put a story to that for people to connect to that level of investment and effort. I just want to see it continue to grow. You know, they're following the relays as we prepare for Paris and while we're on site. So hopefully you get to see some of our story, too," Freeman said.
People are really connected to it and I'm excited to see that.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will officially commence with the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26 on NBC 5. Track & Field (referenced as Athletics at the Olympics) will begin on August 1 and through August 11.
