Mar 16, 2023
“Every twist and turn, it was obstacles, right? And so for me, all I did was thrive. I learned from those. I realized, I can either take it two ways. I can let it overpower me and I crumble, or I freaking thrive and I rise. So that's what I did—I took that road.”
When high jumper Priscilla Loomis caught COVID-19 in January 2021, she—and the team doctor—assumed she’d be fine in a few days. But instead, the illness kicked off what she calls “the scariest time of my entire life.”
A week later, she still felt dizzy and weak—and, most concerning to the elite athlete, coping with stabbing chest pain. All she wanted was to get back to training, so she could make her second Olympic team. But her cardiologists wouldn’t clear her, saying her heart was inflamed.
Priscilla’s roller coaster ride didn’t end there, nor in Tokyo; she shares the whole dramatic tale on this week’s episode (tune in to hear what happens!). But through it all, and now that she’s retired from track and field, her Olympic mindset has allowed her to turn obstacles into opportunities, and never stop telling her own story.
Resources/links:
Priscilla’s website, Instagram, and Facebook page
The National Geographic podcast about her COVID experience
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