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Independence, MO —
It didn’t take Maurice Mitchell long to realize that he was a member of the United States Olympic Track and Field team.
The hometown kid, who has become an international presence in track and field, placed second in the U.S. Olympics Track and Field 200-meter finals Sunday night to punch his ticket to the Summer Games in London.
“When I crossed the finish line and looked up and saw, ‘Maurice Mitchell, second place (on the scoreboard)’, I knew my dream had become a reality,” Mitchell said in an early Monday morning telephone call from Eugene, Ore., the site of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
“It took about a half second for me to realize that I was an Olympian.”
He entered the 200 with the fastest qualifying time, and finished second to Wallace Spearmon Jr., 19.82 seconds to 20.14. The top three runners in each event qualify for the London Olympics later this month.
“I’m going to London, do you believe it?” asked Mitchell, a graduate of Raytown South High School and Florida State University. “I’ve dreamed about this since I was that skinny little kid who wore headbands to every high school meet.
“In high school, every time I ran, I ran like I was running in the Olympics. And now, I am going to be running in the Olympics. Dreams do come true – don’t ever let anyone tell you they don’t.”
Mitchell won back-to-back NCAA outdoor 200 championships at Florida State, where he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Track Performer of the Year five times.
He left the program with a diploma and 10 All-American honors.
At South, he won the 100, 200, 400 and 400 relay at state his junior and senior years. He set the state record in the 100 his senior year when he led the Cardinals to their first boys state championship with 40 points.
“That seems like such a long time ago,” said Mitchell, who received more than 400 phone calls, text messages and emails following his performance Sunday night. “I haven’t slept at all. I called (my wife) Tiara and we talked a long time. She was crying because she was so happy for me. She has been my rock. I haven’t worked since I got out of school and she’s bringing in all the money right now.”
She’s also pregnant with the couple’s first child, which is due Dec. 6.
It didn’t take Maurice Mitchell long to realize that he was a member of the United States Olympic Track and Field team.
The hometown kid, who has become an international presence in track and field, placed second in the U.S. Olympics Track and Field 200-meter finals Sunday night to punch his ticket to the Summer Games in London.
“When I crossed the finish line and looked up and saw, ‘Maurice Mitchell, second place (on the scoreboard)’, I knew my dream had become a reality,” Mitchell said in an early Monday morning telephone call from Eugene, Ore., the site of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
“It took about a half second for me to realize that I was an Olympian.”
He entered the 200 with the fastest qualifying time, and finished second to Wallace Spearmon Jr., 19.82 seconds to 20.14. The top three runners in each event qualify for the London Olympics later this month.
“I’m going to London, do you believe it?” asked Mitchell, a graduate of Raytown South High School and Florida State University. “I’ve dreamed about this since I was that skinny little kid who wore headbands to every high school meet.
“In high school, every time I ran, I ran like I was running in the Olympics. And now, I am going to be running in the Olympics. Dreams do come true – don’t ever let anyone tell you they don’t.”
Mitchell won back-to-back NCAA outdoor 200 championships at Florida State, where he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Track Performer of the Year five times.
He left the program with a diploma and 10 All-American honors.
At South, he won the 100, 200, 400 and 400 relay at state his junior and senior years. He set the state record in the 100 his senior year when he led the Cardinals to their first boys state championship with 40 points.
“That seems like such a long time ago,” said Mitchell, who received more than 400 phone calls, text messages and emails following his performance Sunday night. “I haven’t slept at all. I called (my wife) Tiara and we talked a long time. She was crying because she was so happy for me. She has been my rock. I haven’t worked since I got out of school and she’s bringing in all the money right now.”
She’s also pregnant with the couple’s first child, which is due Dec. 6.
“My life is so good right now, praise God,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t qualify in the 100, so making the team in the 200 was my No. 1 goal, my priority. I worked hard, I trained hard and then I left it all in God’s hands.
“God has always been there for me, blessed me, and helped me get through some difficult times. And now, I want to honor God and share this with all my friends back home and at school – all my friends everywhere.”
Following his second-place finish at trials, Mitchell discovered he has many new friends.
“I must have signed a couple of hundred autographs after the race – it was so much fun,” Mitchell said. “And I got calls from people who haven’t talked to me since I left South. But what was important to me, was sharing this with all my closest friends, the people who have been with me all the way to Sunday night.
“I have so many people supporting me and cheering for me. To share the Olympic experience with them, that’s going to be amazing.”
Mitchell is a student of the Olympics, which makes his success even more special.
“Jesse Owens was on the 1936 team and I can say that I was on the 2012 team,” said Mitchell, who now runs for Nike. “I have accomplished something that Jesse Owens accomplished. I am an Olympian and I am representing my country – I’m so proud.”
Mitchell and his wife will likely return to Raytown sometime in September, and he wants to share his memories with everyone.
“Tell everyone at Tim’s Pizza we’re going to have a party,” Mitchell said, laughing. “The guys at Tim’s were always there for me. It’s going to be fun to come back and see them and have some friends over and talk about everything that has happened this summer.”
Now that he is a part of the U.S. Olympic team, Mitchell said he is going to compete in a couple of small meets to keep his competitive edge, then he will leave for London.
“My goal in London is to make it to the finals and see what happens,” he said. “Four years ago, I’m watching (gold medal winner) Usain Bolt run in the 200 and now, I’m going to be running against him.”
He takes a moment to think about that statement.
“I’m going to be at the Olympics, representing my country, running against Usain Bolt. That’s still hard to believe. But I know it’s true because I saw ‘Maurice Mitchell, second place,’ on the scoreboard. It’s amazing how 20.14 seconds can change your life forever.”
