Manteo Mitchell has long had in mind the perfect end to his illustrious track and field career.
“My plan was to step away from competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” he said. “I wanted to cross the finish line. Win or lose, if I left my cleats (at the goal line), my career would be over.”
While ideal, Mitchell's fortunes needed another pivot to the Shelby native.
The Team USA bobsled team member and one-time Olympic sprinter, who currently lives in Asheville, returned to his hometown on April 18 for an in-depth conversation with eighth-graders at Crest Middle School. I did. The event, one of a series of presentations as part of teacher Laura Tarrington's Exploring Character and Careers class, was a rare opportunity for former Crest Middle School students to explore the venues they once roamed. Ta.
Hometown pride:Missouri's Tyrone Hopper backs hometown of Shelby, North Carolina as NFL Draft approaches
Still going strong:Hendrick Motorsports boasts more than 300 wins and 14 Cup championships in 40 years.Here's how to do it
“Because of my upbringing and my role models, I feel so passionate and fulfilled, not just as an athlete, but as a person,” Mitchell said. “A lot of people give money or friendship, but I want to give time. I think if you can set an example and show that example, it will come across better and people will understand it better.” I feel so happy and lucky to have a platform where people want to sit and listen to me so they can achieve their goals too. You can aim for
Mitchell, a 2005 graduate of Crest High, ran at Western Carolina University and set indoor (21.23 seconds, 2007) and outdoor (20.73 seconds, 2009) 200-meter records in addition to the outdoor 400-meter dash. I still hold it (46 seconds, 2009). In 2012, he won a gold medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships as a member of Team USA's men's 4×400 meter relay team.
A few months later, at the 2012 London Olympics, Mitchell gained international recognition for her performance in the 4×400 meter relay heats. The Shelby native broke his fibula while running the lead leg for Team USA. Still, he completed the segment and helped his team advance to the finals, winning the silver medal.
Mitchell brought medals and other items Thursday to give Crest Middle's eighth grade students tangible proof of what they can achieve through hard work. But greatness comes at a price, he says.
“(Middle school) is where I realized that now I have to be strong in order to be successful,” Mitchell added. “I had a math class in this little place, and the classroom was on the right side here. I would rather sit outside than in the classroom because there would always be problems.
“But look at me now. I'm standing right down the hall from that classroom because (time spent) was outside of the classroom. Because of the experiences I've had, I'm more became much better.”
Formative moments like these made his transition to the U.S. bobsled team a smooth one.
“I was training for the (2020) Tokyo Olympics, and of course COVID-19 hit. Training was stopped, I couldn’t go to the gym, and I was literally at home. I built a gym. My wife can attest to this. Since the gates were closed and I couldn't go to the track, I was running in development to get in shape,” Mitchell said. “I was training for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but then I got the call that there were no competitions. At the time, I didn’t know there were going to be the 2021 Olympics, so I stopped training. I did.
“I didn't feel like going back[to training for competitive running]. At the time, it was a blessing in disguise. In 2021, the CEO of[International Bobsled & Skeleton]called me and said, 'We're hiring. We have someone who is fast and strong…Would you like to try it?''
Although he was new to the sport of sliding down icy or man-made slopes on a four-person sled, Mitchell successfully tried to make the U.S. bobsled team. Now 36, the Shelby native said his “perfect ending” looks a lot different. If Mitchell wins a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, he will become the seventh athlete to win a medal at both the summer and winter Olympics. He also becomes the first African American man to accomplish this feat.
“I don't mind being alone together,” he said. “So that's what I'm going to do.”
