She is a Houston girl who has made Houston very proud!
Whether it was at the collegiate level, where she earned six national titles, or won a medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Raevyn Rogers has always run with her heart. As she prepares to go for gold in Paris, KPRC2′s Keith Garvin spent time with her as she came home to be honored by the community she loves.
Rogers did the honors at the recent TSU Relays -- a track meet in which she still holds the record in the high school girls’ 800-meter run. The Paris hopeful has run up an impressive resume’ since her time at The Kinkaid School.
“This is an opportunity for me to come home and be with my community,” Rogers said. “Obviously, TSU Relays is special to me. TSU is where my grandparents met, so this is like family getting together for me.”
Raevyn’s community came together during her Tokyo Olympic run in 2021. In what is referred to as “the kick” -- Raevyn came from almost last place in the women’s 800-meter run, to cross the finish line with a bronze medal.
“Coming off the curve, I just started thinking to myself, ‘How many girls can I catch,’” she recalled. “I remember literally being probably like at the 50 meters mark and thinking that I could get third place and a bronze would be nice because it was my mother’s birthday. So I went for it, and I’m happy I did.”
Raevyn is hoping to go for another medal at the Paris Games. Her chance to advance comes in less than two weeks at the Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon in Eugene. For Raevyn, it’s a familiar setting. It is where she won six national titles as a collegiate runner -- and is the first female Duck whose silhouette adorns a 10-story tower outside the track stadium.
As she trains for another shot at Olympic gold, Raevyn knows where her heart is.
“It’s always going to be going for gold. I’m going to always train hard and give my best,” she said. “I’m a winner. I’m a champion.”
You can bet that Houston will be pulling for Raevyn in Paris and her tight-knit group of family and friends led by her mother Rhonda. They call themselves “Raevyn’s Nest” and many plan to root her on in Paris, but first from the track and field Olympic Trials in Oregon starting June 21. All finals will be airing live right here on KPRC2.
