SDSU biology major sets sights on second Olympic gold medal

Like most of her fellow San Diego State students, Nevin Harrison is looking forward to the start of the fall semester in about a month but has something important to wrap up first. 

In Harrison’s case: win gold in the Paris Olympics.

Harrison, a third-year biology student at SDSU, is seeking to become the first woman in U.S. history to win consecutive gold medals in canoeing after she won the country’s first gold medal in the women’s 200-meter canoe race at the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) in Tokyo.

Once again, Harrison will compete in the 200 meters. The Olympic Games opening ceremony is Friday, and the 200-meter heats are on Aug. 8. 

“I am excited for the opportunity to try to repeat history this summer,” Harrison said. “A bit nervous, but more excited than ever.”

Harrison is one of three SDSU students and alumni competing in this year’s games. Like Harrison, golfer Xander Schauffele, fresh off his win at The Open Championship, is looking to  repeat as a gold medalist. SDSU Hall of Famer Shanieka Thomas will compete in her third games for Jamaica in the triple jump. 

The 200-meter race — just under the length of two football fields — is one of the most exciting boating events in the Olympics, as the nine canoeists line up side by side in their sleek one-seat boats to power their way through the water with a single-blade paddle. World-class paddlers in the women’s class traverse the distance in about 50 seconds.

Harrison’s road back to the Olympic stage has been anything but straightforward, as she dealt with injuries. A back injury sidelined her for a month before her return to the World Championships in August 2023, where she placed fourth. 

The adversity, she said, would make the second gold medal that much sweeter.

“Winning the Olympics once was a huge accomplishment, but going back to back would be unbelievable,” she said. “I’ve had to relearn not just discipline but also my love for training and grueling hours, which has been challenging. The injuries have been trying as well, but with a good team behind me and making sure I stay on top of my PT, they have been manageable. 

“Last year it didn’t look good for a little while; I worked really hard to get back to the place where I am right now,” Harrison said. “The adversity I've faced in the last couple of years has definitely given the gold medal a whole new value.”

While she gives credit to her coach Joe Harper for getting her back into “Tokyo shape,” referring to the site of her previous Olympic conquest, Harrison said the person she credits most for rediscovering the edge in time for the Paris Games is herself. 

“I made a choice to come back to the sport and to work my (butt) off,” Harrison said. “I think ultimately for athletes, at the end of the day, it needs to be our own choices and willpower that get us where we need to go.”

Academic rigor

At the same time, Harrison said balancing a rigorous major such as biology and her training has also proven to be a challenge. 

How has she done it? By focusing on one thing at a time. She took a brief sabbatical from school to prepare for the Olympics, but plans to return after The Games are done. 

“Being a biology major has been nothing short of challenging, and I’ve done my best balancing training and going to school,” she said. “But as The Games approached, ultimately I felt as though I wanted to focus on one thing at a time in order to excel at both. I struggled when I was training and in school at the same time — trying to keep up a high GPA while exhausting yourself doing hours of training was really tough.”

Harrison said the additional hours of training for a chance at Olympic gold have postponed her plans to graduate next spring, but she said she still intends to graduate and attend graduate school once the Olympics have concluded. 

“As of right now I’m definitely hoping to go to grad school, but I’m focusing day by day on bringing home some hardware this summer,” said Harrison, who said she wants to pursue a career in the medical field. 

One thing the Seattle native is also unwavering about is her love for SDSU. 

“I have loved being at SDSU; Southern California has always been a dream for me, so going to a fantastic university out here is more than I could have asked for,” Harrison said. “I love the community at the school and the wonderful friends I've made along the way.”