Michelle Rohl (born November 12, 1965, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

) is an American

racewalker Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asses ...

. She represented her native country at three consecutive

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

in 1992–2000. A five-time USA Indoor Champion ('95, '96, '98, '00, and '01) and a four-time U.S. outdoor 20 km champion ('99–'01, and '03), she won a silver and a bronze medal at the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

(1995 and 1999). Rohl holds three race walk American records; in the

10-km walk The 10 kilometres race walk, or 10-kilometer racewalk, is a racewalking event. The event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it ...

, 44:17 set on August 7, 1995, in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

, Sweden; the

20 kilometres race walk The 20 kilometre race walk is an Olympic athletics event that is competed by both men and women. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight ...

1:31:51 set on May 13, 2000, in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

; and the 15 kilometres race walk 1:08:35 also set in Kenosha en route to the 20 km record. Rohl won the Masters W50 mile race at USA Track & Field 2019 Masters Indoor Championships in Winston-Salem, N.C. Rohl broke three American Records for W55 at the 2021 USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

: 800m (2:23.26), 1500m (4:54.16), and relay (4:23.52); the relay time was also a World Record. In 2022, she raced through the list of middle distances, improving on the 800 and 1500 while setting the 5000 and 10,000 American records, the 1500 and 5000 at the

World Masters Athletics Championships The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes 35 years of age or ...

. Her 4:47.63 1500 record was even superior to Sylvia Mosqueda's age 50 record that was never ratified. A 3000 record was disallowed because she didn't have an adequate number of competitors. Rohl came out of retirement and competed in the 20 km race walking event at the 2024 USATF Olympic Trials, finishing in third place at age 58. She did not have the time standard to qualify for the Olympics.

References

External links

Michelle Rohl
at

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rohl, Michelle 1965 births Living people American female race walkers Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Sportspeople from Madison, Wisconsin Track and field athletes from Wisconsin Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 20th-century American sportswomen American masters athletes USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners