“A Year of Change”: As 2024 Paris Olympics Looms, Olympic-Bound Athlete Stuns Fans With a Big Change

USA Track and field sovereign Courtney Frerichs has yet to participate in many competitions before the Paris Olympics trial. The last time she took her stride on a competitive race track was in the half marathon of Kansas City in October, last year. Before that, her competitive avatar was in the US Outdoor Track and Field championship in mid-2023. Courtney Frerichs had advanced to the final there, even with a fall in the prelims, only to back out later due to an ankle injury. That had invited a question mark on her appearance in the Olympics. 

However, at the beginning of the season, Courtney Frerichs announced her new move. The much-needed steps raised hopes of winning an Olympic medal in Frerichs’ steeplechase event. 

Courtney Frerichs bids farewell to her Olympics den, Bowerman Track Club 

As a steeplechase runner, Courtney Frerichs’ acumen earned a special height when she was adamant about joining the Bowerman Track Club. It started seven years ago and continued for seven long years. But on the brink of her return to the track, the 30-year-old athlete decided to say goodbye to her old club. On Instagram, Courtney Frerichs took a long narrative to describe her emotional takeouts from her BTC stint. She started, “2024- a year of change…After seven years, my time with the Bowerman Track Club has come to an end. This chapter has given me some of the greatest moments of my running career and some of the best relationships with teammates I will forever cherish.” In the lengthy post, she thanked each of the staffers, especially naming her partner, Griffin Humphreys, and Garmin Running. 

In the same post, Frerichs admitted her continuation with Alistair Cragg and sponsor Nike for the upcoming time. Later Citius Mag’s X-handle attested to that by claiming, “She will be coached by @HastyHastings and @alistaircragg and will remain sponsored by @nike.” That was the official end of the engagement between Courtney Frerichs and the BTC that had earned her a plethora of success. 

The takeaways from the club

Under the tutelage of chief coach, Jerry Schumacher, Courtney Frerichs earned qualification for Olympic teams in the stars and stripes. In 2020, she bagged the silver medal in the 300m steeplechase. Just after one year in the London World Championship, she repeated her medal fate in the same event. In 2018, Frerichs continued her stellar form and won the silver medal in the IAAF Continental Cup. 

Read more: USA 3000m Steeplechase Star Admits She Would Run 1000m More for a $ 1 Million Prize at the Tokyo Olympics 2020

Courtney Frerichs’ NCAA success was a major backing element of her contention in the pathway of glory. In 2016, NCAA Division 1 OTFC, she made history in the steeplechase clocking. Most of her timings came as a record breaker there. Riding on those successful outings, the athlete might want to repeat history in the Paris Olympics. 

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