For the world’s quickest flatwater sprinter, slowing down is not uncomplicated. And for Nevin Harrison, a scaled-down schedule still includes at minimum a single instruction session on her canoe each individual working day — and usually two routines a working day — in addition to her full-time course load as a biology scholar at San Diego Condition College.
Harrison, at just 19 several years previous, received Olympic gold in dominating manner in the 200-meter canoe sprint in Tokyo last August, the first American girl to get a flatwater gold medal in 57 years.
She then regarded her have to have to get a bit of a crack from the rigorous competition routine.
“I desired to regroup and chill out a small little bit,” she stated.
She opted not to take part in the European circuit races this spring, but she is now gearing back up to return to the globe championship this August at Lake Banook in Halifax, Canada.
Ahead of all that, Harrison will make a halt again dwelling this week to take part in the Seattle Sports Star of the Yr banquet, hosted by the Seattle Sporting activities Commission at The Westin Seattle on Thursday evening.
Harrison is one particular of seven nominees for the women’s Sports activities Star of the Calendar year award, joined by Sophia Chilczuk (Seattle Pacific soccer), Jess Fishlock (OL Reign), Katie Holloway (volleyball Paralympian), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Gabbie Plain (UW softball) and Ella May perhaps Powell (UW volleyball). The nominees for men’s Sports activities Star of the Yr are Eric Barriere (Eastern Washington soccer), Mitch Haniger (Mariners), Corey Kispert (Gonzaga basketball), Tyler Lockett (Seahawks), Cristian Roldan (Sounders), Dylan Teves (UW soccer) and UW men’s rowing.
A 2020 Roosevelt Large College graduate who bought her start off canoeing on Inexperienced Lake, Harrison said she was heartened by messages she gained on social media from folks all all-around Seattle in the course of the Olympics past summer time. Her parents nevertheless are living below, and even though she doesn’t envision going back again whenever before long — “I just adore the (San Diego) solar far too a great deal,” she reported with a chuckle — Seattle will often be dwelling.
“I really do feel so much aid from my city, and I appreciate that,” she mentioned. “I could feel the adore in Tokyo.”
In a activity prolonged dominated by Europeans, Harrison burst on to the international scene as a 17-year-aged when she surprised the subject to gain her first globe championship in Hungary in 2019.
She then paddled to a convincing victory in the Olympic finals on Tokyo Bay, winning the race in 45.932 seconds — just about a full second in advance of six-time entire world champion Laurence Vincent-Lapointe of Canada.
Harrison has come to be the de facto facial area of the sport in the U.S.
“It was such a nuts encounter,” she mentioned, reflecting on her 1st Olympics. “I don’t feel I fully recognized how a lot of a toll it would consider on me. It was just so nerve-wracking. The race stress was some of the craziest I have at any time experienced.”
And she’s completely ready to do it all more than again for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. She’ll continue to be just 22 then.
How does somebody who has achieved so a great deal at such a younger age carry on to raise the bar?
“It’s a large challenge,” explained Harrison, who turns 20 on June 2. “I established out when I was a kid entering into this earth obtaining my biggest intention at any time to with any luck , a single day win the Olympics. And it is very surreal to have reached that at 19. It’s type of hard to wrap your head all around occasionally, thinking, ‘Oh, most persons get the job done their total careers, and they never get this.’ It’s actually scarce and seriously particular, and every working day I’m grateful for it.
“But now in its place of having that, ‘Oh, I want to win the Olympics’ getting type of the inspiration, I assume it is turned into beating my old self and strengthening myself and environment new criteria and breaking new documents. That is what I have to emphasis on, like it’s time for me to try to do the not possible, fairly than just attempting to win a race. I indicate, I even now want to manage my title and prove that I’m nonetheless up there. But it is a distinct activity, not being the underdog any longer.”