SEATTLE _ Nevin Harrison never saw this coming.
Just a few years ago, her main sport was track, with sprints her specialty.
Now, the 17-year-old Roosevelt High School student is a sprinter in another sport � canoe � and a world champion at that. She is a strong contender to win a gold medal in August in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
If she can do that, she would be the youngest woman to win Olympic gold in a canoe or kayak event.
It's all pretty amazing for someone who just a few years ago first gave canoeing a try at Green Lake. Not only does she have a world championship title, but she has also won in the Pan-Am Games and has four national titles.
It's no wonder then that Harrison is one of six nominees for Female Sports Star of the Year, which will be handed out Thursday night at the 85th annual MTRWestern Sports Star of the Year banquet at the Seattle Westin.
The other female nominees are Washington volleyball player Kara Bajema, Reign FC forward Bethany Balcer, UW softball player Sis Bates, Storm forward Natasha Howard and Washington State University soccer player Morgan Weaver.
The Male Athlete of the Year and Story of the Year will also be honored. Seattle University basketball and baseball legend Johnny O'Brien, who was Male Athlete of the Year in 1952, will be given the Royal Brougham Award for lifetime achievement.
Also being honored are broadcaster Angie Mentink, who will receive the Keith Jackson Award for media excellence; Seahawks general manager John Schneider and his wife, Traci, who will receive the Paul G. Allen Award for philanthropic contribution; and UW women's soccer player Claudia Longo, who will receive the Wayne Gittinger Inspirational Award.
"I'm so honored to be considered for such an amazing award," Harrison said of her nomination. "I'm so excited to meet some truly incredible people who have influenced the sports world in such big ways. I hope this is just the beginning for canoe/kayak in the United States, and I'm pumped for 2020."
Nevin Harrison, about to start her training near the University of Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020 in Seattle is a 17-year-old canoeist who has qualified for the 2020 Olympics.(Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)
Nevin Harrison, about to start her training near the University of Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020 in Seattle is a 17-year-old canoeist who has qualified for the 2020 Olympics. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)
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Harrison's passion was running until she was 13 and was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, the medical term for a hip socket that doesn't fully cover the ball portion of the upper thighbone.
"Running was just super painful," Harrison said.
As hard as that was at the time, it started her on the path to the Olympics. She had started paddling at Green Lake when she was 11, and with track out of the picture, she turned her attention to the water.
Not that it was always easy. She spent her first year often falling into the water. It was the challenge of the canoe that led her into that discipline.
"Most people start with kayaking � and people might get mad at me � but I got in the kayak, and I thought, 'This is boring. I want to do something harder,' " she said. "So when I was 12 and I was falling every single time in the canoe, I liked the challenge."
Soon, with her natural athletic ability, she began conquering that challenge.
She first got an idea of how good she might be when she won the women's bantam national championship in the 200 meters in 2016. Her time of 56.95 seconds was the fastest of any women's division.
"I was close to where I had always dreamed about being, and I was 14," said Harrison, who said her biggest dream has always been to compete in the Olympics. "After the national championships, I realized I liked it and I liked racing on bigger platforms. And in 2017, I started really taking it seriously because that was the year I first had a chance to qualify for Team USA."
She quit going to classes at Roosevelt and enrolled in the Running Start program, allowing her to take online classes and focus more on paddling. Not only did she make Team USA, but she soon became a world star in the sport.
