June 25, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The road to Gothenburg goes through the 2024 US Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene / Springfield, Oregon for two decorated Olympians in the 20km Walk to be held on the streets of downtown Springfield. Three-time Olympian Michelle Rohl (1992, 1996, and 2000) will return to the Trials after a 20 year absence. Two-time Olympian Allen James (1992 and 1996) has participated in several Trials after going into semi-retirement after the Atlanta Games.
Many may say both Michelle (58) and Allen (60) are just entering their prime as the two will be the oldest competitors in the 2024 Olympic Trials! However, these Olympians were the most dominant walkers in the 90s, rarely losing any USATF Open Championship events. They both held several major US records. Michelle is still the US recordholder in the 5km Walk and 10km Walk on both road and track.
With kids going off to college and having more time to help her husband coach his college team, Michelle stepped back onto the track. She quickly found that she could easily keep up or be even faster than many of the women on the team. The competitive juices started flowing again and it was time to ply her trade that took her to the NAIA Hall of Fame, middle distance running. In no time, she became one of the most dominant Masters athletes in the sport. She set American records from 800m to 10,000m and was part of a few world records in the 4x400m and 4x800m relays.
After a few injuries last year, Michelle decided to start walking again. Well, it didn’t take long for Michelle to again establish herself as one of the premier walkers of all-time when she set two age group world records, W55-59, at the Penn Relays. With her primary focus on Gothenburg, Michelle decided to try a 20km. In Toronto, Canada, Michelle walked another US age group record and easily made the standard for the Olympic Trials with a 1:45:23.
This past Sunday, in the Olympic Trials Masters 800m Exhibition at Hayward Field, Michelle ran an amazing race finishing second to the 60-64 World Record holder Sue Patterson-McDonald, with a time of 2:24.90!
After the Atlanta Olympics, Allen competed in one last indoor circuit before retiring from elite competition to focus on his family, career, and USATF leadership. Walking became a fitness and social addiction for him, as he often joined running groups wherever he lived; he walked while they ran. Allen was appointed as Head Coach of the PanAm Walking Cup team in 2007. In a last-minute twist, the top athlete’s passport had issues and as coach, he was forced to make an executive decision, he needed to fill in for Olympian John Nunn. The team went on to win the men’s team championship over the vaunted Mexican and Ecuadorian teams. A few months later Allen qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials, where walking for fun, he finished 6th in the 20km Walk.
Allen continued to dabble with the walk competing in various national events from 20km to 50km, placing well even in his 40s and 50s. Having success in the Open, competing in the Masters events wasn’t even a thought until joining SoCal Track Club, one of the nation’s premier masters track clubs. Allen was also captivated by Michelle’s success on the track. According to James, “Michelle is an amazing athlete and she’s been an inspiration for me to take the next step and enter these big masters events.” In 2024, James has also started to rewrite the US record books, but performing well at the Trials and winning hardware at Nationals and Worlds are his main goal.
The US Olympic Trials careers for Allen and Michelle span 36 years (1988-2024) and 32 years (1992-2024) respectively. Both athletes will next head to Sacramento for the USATF Masters Track & Field Championships, July 18-21. The 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg will be held August 13-25.
NOTES:
Michelle Rohl’s Previous Results at the World Masters Athletics Championships
2022 World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships
W55 800m 2nd Place – 2:22.82
W55 1500m 2nd Place – 4:47.62
W55 5000m 1st Place – 18:18.67
2023 World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships
W55 800m 2nd Place – 2:25.12
W55 1500m 1st Place – 4:53.07
W55 3000m 1st Place – 10:27.11
She is coached by Mike DeWitt
Michelle and Michael Rohl are technically home free during this summer of several competitions as they sold their home in Mansfield, PA.
Allen James is coached by Olympian Tim Seaman.
Allen resides in San Pedro, CA. (Los Angeles)
