Meet Utah State grad and heptathlete Chari Hawkins

PARIS - Team USA heptathlete Chari Hawkins is finally getting the chance to compete in the Olympics at the age of 33.

However, her journey has been far from easy.

Hawkins is from Rexburg, Idaho, and grew up a multi-sport athlete. She received college scholarship offers for basketball, volleyball and track but decided to focus on track. She attended Utah State University and set records in the high jump and the heptathlon, both of which have not been broken.

While Hawkins had a fairly successful collegiate career, she found less success in worldwide competitions. In 2016, she first decided to vie for a spot in the Olympics at the Olympic Trials and finished 15th out of 18.

In 2019, after suffering through anxiety and panic attacks for almost a decade of competitions, Hawkins decided it was time to change. She realized she was basing her self-worth off her competition results and sought help from friends, family and other resources to change her mindset.

In an interview earlier this year, Hawkins admitted that there are still bad days, but she is learning to separate her athletic ability and achievements with how she sees herself.

In 2021, Hawkins tried again to qualify for the Olympics and finished sixth, achieving a personal best but still unable to make the cut.

However, this year, she finished second at the trials, securing a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Achieving her dream to compete in the Olympics is 20 years in the making, but she finally did it.

Hawkins will begin competition Thursday at 10:05 a.m. MDT, starting with the 100m hurdles.