Grandma, 58, Makes Olympic Team for Race Walking: 'Never Known Anyone Who Is as Mentally Tough'

A grandmother from Pennsylvania is going to the Olympics – for the sport she previously retired from!

Michelle Rohl, a distance runner-turned-tracker from Wisconsin, previously competed for Team USA in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics, but retired from the sport more than two decades ago to educate her five children at houses, Morning call reported.

Now 58, Rohl, who welcomed her first grandchild just three months ago, returned to the sport with a vengeance, competing in the 20-kilometer race walk at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Saturday, June 29 — and qualifying.

Michelle Rohl (right) with her teammates from the Olympic race walking qualifiers on June 29.

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michelle completed the walk, which was held in Springfield, Oregon, in just over an hour and 42 minutes, a time that earned her third place overall, the Pennsylvania newspaper reported.

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And that was not an easy feat. Michelle – who finished 20th at the 1992 Olympics, 14th in 1996 and 17th in 2000 – trains every day, running a total of 45 miles a week at a pace of 8 minutes per mile, she told Morning call.

She also survived several injuries. Michelle suffered a concussion last year after tripping and hitting her head on a curb near the end of a race, then cracked her chin during a race in Toronto three weeks ago.

But with Olympic trials on the horizon, she persevered. “I just said, ‘I have to stay on my feet and keep going,'” the athlete told the newspaper. “I was glad to finish, really. It would have been more profitable for me if I wasn’t just trying to stay awake for the last two laps.”

Michelle Rohl competes in the 2000 Olympics.

Jed Jacobsohn / Allsport

Talking to Morning callMichelle’s husband, Michael Rohl, said, “I’ve never met anyone as mentally strong as she is.”

– added 59-year-old Michael. “She loves to run, she loves to compete and it’s a lifestyle for both of us. It makes her happy, and I’m happy to be on the ride with him.”

Michelle Rohl is going to the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

And although her “retirement” from racewalking is over, Michelle said she has no regrets about spending time off the track to teach her children, who are now aged 33 to 18.

“My middle daughter said, ‘Mom, you were a really good athlete. Then you had kids,'” she said Morning call. “‘And then we’re all grown up, and you’re a great athlete again. I think we were the reason.’ ”

But Michelle “wanted” to take time off from the sport, she said, adding, “I was ready for a break and I wanted that part of my life.”

Michelle Rohl at the 1992 Olympic Games.

Team de Frisco / Allsport

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At Saturday’s Olympic trials, in which she was the oldest athlete to compete, the grandmother did not expect to perform the way she did a few decades ago, she told Morning call.

But now Michelle, who last year set the American mileage record for women in her age group, is going to the Olympics because of the performance she’s doing now — with the support of Michael and the rest of her family.

Michelle Rohl is competing in the 2024 Olympics.

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

“I told her, ‘You have to do it because it might inspire some other people to keep going,'” Michael said. “’Like who does that? The answer is that no one else did. So just go and have fun doing it because you can.’ ”

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To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.com and come to PEOPLE.com to check out live coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics starting July 26 on NBC and Peacock.

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Source: HIS Education