Campus track serves as training grounds for Olympic hopefuls

Every day Olympic-caliber athletes run on Robinson Stadium’s track, training for the big dance coming this summer. Among them are 100 meter hurdlers Keisha Brown, Shalina Clarke, and 2008 World Champion Silver medalist Candice Rae Price, who are all personally coached by PCC track and field Head Coach Larry Wade.

The significance of the lady hurdlers and their connection to PCC hit its apex over the weekend at the Pasadena Games where junior high, senior high, college, and individual world-class athletes ran in one of California’s most premier meets.

While Clarke and coach Wade’s other athletes are all Olympic contenders, Price is a definite favorite to win a medal at the summer games in London.

“[Price] is definitely the fastest,” coach Wade said. “I mean she’s a former silver medalist at the World Championships.”

Price isn’t only a silver medalist though, she was a former PAC 10 champion while running for USC and an Olympic trials finalist where she missed the cut by less than thousandths of a second. The woman that beat her, Dawn Harper, eventually went on to win gold in Beijing.

“They’re no longer a threat,” Price said of her former competitors Harper and last Olympic’s favorite Lolo Jones. “I respect their hustle and grind for the sport, but this past year I’ve matured to a point where they’re no longer a threat… I would say I’m one of the top four hurdlers in the world.”

Coach Wade is no stranger to successful athletes, coaching former athlete Dominique Arnold to a world record time in the 110 meter hurdles.

Clarke also believes her chances of making the team are “definitely really good.” Clarke, and Price, who run neck and neck, are looking to compete with each other for the first time since their one year together at USC.

“[Price] is a great training partner who sets the bar high,” Clarke said. “And Coach Wade is like a coach, mentor, psychologist, he does it all.”

The sentiment among the Olympic hopefuls is gratefulness for each other’s company. “Running with [Clarke] is a blessing, we help each other’s weaknesses grow stronger,” Price said.

Price has stayed quiet in the track scene this last year and a half, deferring to training as opposed to international competition to focus more on her ultimate Olympic goal.

“I’ve learned from my ’08 season,” Price said. “I had a great indoor season and world championships and now I just want to focus solely on the Olympics.”

“If I win it,” she continued, “I’m going to name my future daughter London.”

Currently, Price and the other athletes are kicking it into the next gear where training decreases, and intensity increases.

“There’s only eight lanes and there’s an entire world of people trying to get in them,” Price said. “In hurdles, anything can happen.”