When decathlete Harrison Williams — a 2014 graduate of Memphis University School — recorded his lowest high jump in 12 years at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month, he thought his shot at Paris was gone.
Three years after rupturing his plantar fascia during the pole vault phase of the Tokyo Olympic trials and missing out in fourth place, history seemed about to repeat itself.
"I literally left the stadium. I had to talk to my dad," Williams said. "I cried a little bit because I felt like I had lost my opportunity."
Williams' dad told him to keep his head in the game, that anything could happen.
The 28-year-old responded by winning the 400-meter dash. On the last day of the two-day event, he ran his best 100-meter hurdle time in eight years and set a personal best in the javelin throw.
The bounce back propelled Williams into the third and final qualifying spot for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, becoming the only former Owl to clinch an Olympic berth.
"When I first finished, the emotion was just relief that it was over, that I got the job done," Williams said. "I saw my family and just immediately went over to hug them.
"Feeling the love from them and everyone that was watching was a really cool moment. I'd been building that moment up in my head for 12 years. That's been the goal since 2012 to make the Olympic team."
Coupled with that feeling of relief was one of redemption of having conquered past failures and persevered through the "hardest decathlon of (his) life."
Following Williams' victory at the U.S. Championships in Eugene, Oregon — the site of the trials – in June 2023, injury issues returned to start 2024. An ankle injury picked up in a March competition and a recent groin tweak created some uncertainty entering Williams' return to Eugene.
The Stanford graduate had faced similar adversity before, though. He doesn't regret the injuries.
"I wouldn't change a thing going back," Williams said. "It made me who I am today and gave me the confidence I needed."
How Harrison Williams became a decathlete
The journey to an Olympics for any athlete is never straight. Williams' injury challenges are proof. His athletics career didn't even start on a track, though. It took off thanks to a trained eye.
Williams still remembers the moment former MUS coach Bobby Alston asked him to try the decathlon.
A freshman in high school, Williams was running track to keep shape for basketball. At the regional meet that spring, Alston asked Williams to do the decathlon despite the youngster only knowing half of the events.
"Half of the events I was just learning during the warm up. I think I scored 4,000 points in the whole decathlon which is what I score after like one day now," Williams said with a laugh.
"Coach Alston saw potential in me somehow that I didn't even see in myself," he said.
That summer, on Alston's advice, Williams joined the Memphis Mustangs track team. He nurtured his speed and athleticism, developing a knack for the 400-meter race. By the end of his time in Memphis, Williams would become one of the most decorated track athletes in state history.
MEMPHIAN OLYMPIANSTwo-time Olympic medalist from Memphis reflects on her success ahead of the 2024 Olympics
Williams was born in Houston and moved to Memphis at a young age. He credits his coach and growing up in Tennessee for finding the decathlon as it's not offered in most other state's competitions.
"I was lucky that I grew up in Tennessee," Williams said. "The main reason I ever got involved is because my coach needed someone to do the decathlon at regionals."
From there, Williams fell in love with the training and growth needed to be competitive in all 10 events of the decathlon. That love for work behind the scenes is paramount as decathletes compete only a few times a year.
Williams' fondest memory from his early days as a decathlete is maybe the fondest of his career — winning the state track title as a senior at MUS.
"That was maybe the most fun I ever had in track," Williams said. "That was before all the pressure started. I won five events and set a couple of state records, but just winning as a team was huge for me."
With the pressure of the Olympic Trials behind him, Williams is hoping to carry some of that high school joy with him to Paris.
"I was really nervous and anxious before the trials, but before the Olympics, I'm really not feeling that nervous at all," Williams said. "I'm just excited. I really just want to compete."
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is the high school sports beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Wendell at wendell.shepherd@commercialappeal.com. Follow Wendell on X, formerly known as Twitter, @wendellsjr_.
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