Ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics, all eyes – from those of track & field fiends to the beauty mavens — are on a new monarch of the track. Meet Queen Harrison.
Twenty-five-year-old Harrison was the youngest member of the USA Track Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she finished seventh in the 400m women’s hurdles semifinals. In 2010, she made history by becoming the first woman to win the 100m and 400m hurdles titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and also took home The Bowerman, an award known as the Heisman Trophy of Track & Field. After suffering a leg injury and being sidelined in the 2012 Summer Olympic trials, Harrison is back on the scene and digging deep into the work ethic that got her to the Olympic stage.
A 2011 New York Times feature detailed Harrison’s early rise to stardom. The daughter of an Army vet who served in Vietnam, Harrison determinedly joined her older siblings for sunrise workouts at the tender age of 3. Born in Loch Sheldrake, NY, those toddler workouts — jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, and running — prepped her for a track life when she moved to Virginia and began setting track & field records in high school. With years of experience under her belt, the Virginia Tech alum, who graduated with a degree in sociology, is poised to once again make waves on the international track scene.
2014 has been good to Harrison. She placed second in the 100m hurdles at June’s USA Track & Field Championships, and she won July’s Diamond League 100m hurdles in Glasgow. If her current streak is any indication, the 2016 Olympics will undoubtedly center around Harrison — and she’s ready to face the challenge.
Speaking of face, Harrison has a large social media following who adore her for her hair and beauty moves. Her tagline of “Have fun, run fast, and look fabulous” encompasses much of what she shares with her fans on Twitter and Instagram. Fans and followers are treated to an inside view of Harrison’s style mandate with photos of her many hairstyles, her flawless makeup on the track, and her off-the-track fashion picks.
UPTOWN was able to connect with Harrison and get her thoughts on competing, track & field representation, and of course — style! Get to know the Queen:
UPTOWN: Congrats on winning the 100m hurdles in the 2014 Diamond League! Track is just as much a mental sport as it is a physical one, so how do you get in the zone before your races?
Queen: I love music! I feel like I always have a soundtrack going on to my life so wherever it’s allowed I’m always playing music to get me in my “zone.” But I also zone out by focusing on things other than my races, like what hairstyle and lipstick I’m going to sport during the race or talk to loved ones on the phone beforehand just to take my mind off of competition. All of the hard stuff and focus is done in training way before the track meet even starts, so I try to free my mind of all things track-related so I can just go out there and have fun.
[Image: Ella Bee Media Group]
UPTOWN: Competitive sport is generally a continuous see-saw of achievement and disappointment. How do you stay motivated, handle setbacks, and find balance?
Queen: I think I am able to stay motivated and balanced even through setbacks because of the confidence I have in myself, my training, and my abilities. I know how hard I work and I know God has blessed me with a talent of infinite proportion so I never let one race or season define me as an athlete or person. In addition to my belief in myself and God, I have an outpouring of love and support from my family, friends, and fans. Even when I don’t do well at a meet, I am constantly reminded that I am the best, I am great, and that there are always bigger things to come by all of my support systems! I like to call them QueenTeam because, like me, they know that staying motivated doesn’t always come from within and my team of people who believe in me always find a way to keep my spirits up.
UPTOWN: You recently posted an image on Instagram with the hashtag #ESPYSNEEDSTRACK and mentioned the lack of representation of track athletes at the awards. How do you think representation of your sport could be improved on a larger scale?
Queen: I’m glad to know people other than just track athletes noticed the hashtag because there are many ways track and field can be better represented at these awards shows and in mainstream period! These shows are not only about performances but also about ratings and the more mainstream/popular an athlete is, the more people will be interested to watch anything they’re doing. So by marketing and exposing more track athletes to the public and making them more visible, they in turn become public figures and BOOM! more interest in the sport.
I also believe that how other sports have channels dedicated solely to 24/7 coverage to the sport, track and field should do the same thing. There are a gang of track meets always going on during the spring/summer months in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and even a couple in America, so there is more than enough coverage to keep a channel alive and motivate meet directors to host even more meets. One more way track athletes’ representation can be improved is more inclusion on shows like “Sports Center,” and ESPN in general. Except for a couple exceptions, coverage on track and field is few and far in between from high school to collegiate to professional level. Having these places where track and sports fans can always go to watch track and field and get familiar with its key players, will allow the fan base to grow.
UPTOWN: You’re becoming just as known for your style as you are for your athleticism, and you often use the tagline “Have fun, run fast, and look fabulous!” Have you always had a passion for beauty?
Queen: I have always had a passion for beauty, especially hair! I honestly think it stems from growing up and having to wear my hair covered in a head wrap (my parents are members of the Nation of Gods and Earths and required the girls to cover their hair) and I wasn’t able to experiment with a lot of hairstyles. So when I got older and had a choice to cover my hair or not I learned how to do my own hair and instantly fell in love with all the changes I could make! Beauty is the same way for me, I love how the right tube of lipstick from Covergirl or MAC can instantly make me feel fabulous even on a rainy, sweatpants kinda day. Beauty products and hair are some of the best ways to express yourself and personal style, and there’s nothing more fabulous than expressing yourself. They’ve even motivated me to create my own YouTube channel!
UPTOWN: What are your current favorite style trends for hair, makeup, and/or fashion? Do you have any style inspirations?
Queen: For hair, I love a half-up, half-down kind of style especially when I’m racing. I think of it how they used to describe mullets, “business in front and party in the back” (laughs) because the hair is kept out of my face for competition but its still long and flowing in the back, like I’d wear if I was going out. Makeup is light and shimmery and glowing because it’s summertime. And with my skin already tanned and pretty evened out, I love a bold statement lip color especially purple, paired with a cute cat eye. Now with fashion, I switch it up so much it’s hard to say my favorite but I’ll go with flatform and platform shoes. Not only are they super cute and super “in” right now, they’re also comfy and easy to walk in. WIN WIN WIN! Style inspiration outside of myself lately comes from Solange and Beyoncé. The sisters have been playing with mixing prints and bright colors and I love the freedom of expression that comes with that! My favorite fashion on the track would be my cross-body top I’ve been wearing; it’s functional, fashionable, and sexy … triple threat!
UPTOWN: Let’s look five years into the future. Who is Queen Harrison, what is she known for, and what is she up to?
Queen: I honestly don’t know where Queen Harrison is five years from now. Trying to predict it would be like putting a limit on myself, and I honestly believe with what I’m doing now on and off the track and what I’m planning to do on and off the track will make the sky the limit for me. As long as I am HAPPY and loved five years from now, I know I’ll be right where I’m supposed to be.
Keep up with Queen Harrison via her blog, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.