Olympic Hopefuls

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Issue:

06/2021

WNC native, Asheville resident, and Western Carolina University alum Manteo Mitchell is arguably the fastest man in the state and among the fastest in the world. The Olympic sprinter’s best time in a 400m (roughly the distance of four football fields) relay split is 43.6 seconds. For comparison, the world record is 43.03 seconds.

"I had a dream of doing something, but other people can do it if they just apply themselves, have faith, focus, and finish anything that they start." -Manteo Mitchell

Cooper and fellow team members (all outfitted by Ralph Lauren) ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony in Rio.

After her injury, her family took her (in a wheelchair) to Rio’s most famous landmark.

Cooper (third from right) with her college team at Dartmouth, where she became the first female distance runner to win an NCAA title.

"I wouldn't change what happened in Rio. It created a platform for me to encourage young athletes. It's part of my story." -Abbey Cooper

RESOURCES:

Photographs (Mitchell with silver medal and racing for WCU) courtesy of Western Carolina University; (bobsledding) courtesy of James Reed; (running on Team USA) courtesy of Manteo Mitchell; Photographs courtesy of Abbey Cooper

ISSUE DATE:

SUMMER 2021

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Olympic Hopefuls

Olympic Hopefuls

Olympic Hopefuls