Among the dozens of athletes hoping to leap, throw or run their way to London as part of the U.S. track and field team is 24-year-old runner Shannon Leinert.
Leinert, who will compete in the 800-meter dash, has dreamed of the Olympics since she was 10 and winning races in St. Louis, her hometown. If that weren’t enough, she’s also working on a doctoral degree in special education.
Leinert now trains at the University of Missouri-Columbia track that revived her college career and allowed her to think seriously about the Olympics. It was also on this campus that she fell in love with special-needs students and decided to try to earn a doctoral degree.
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