Shalysa Wray: First Gen and Olympian
Before travelling to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last summer, junior marketing
student Shalysa Wray was probably the only athlete faced with a particular dilemma, stemming from one of her K-State classes. The lab portion of the class required her to examine rocks given to her by the school. She couldn’t very well lug around a bag of rocks as she travelled across the world, so fortunately with some help from her instructor, she was able to complete the work before she left the country.
Born in the Cayman Islands, Shalysa was recruited by a high school in Jamaica to train for track, before running for Xavier University of Louisiana, in New Orleans, and ultimately being recruited to run for K-State in 2020. She has been a runner since preschool, following the footsteps of her parents and both grandmothers, who were all distance runners. Her specialty though is sprints, running the 400m at Tokyo, and the 100m, 4x100 and 4x400 relays as a Wildcat. What also sets her apart from her family, is her opportunity to be the first to graduate from college.
“I’ve always been interested in business and marketing,” said Shalysa. “I am also interested in a real estate career after I graduate because of the flexibility it will allow with my training schedule if I go pro.”
She recalls being somewhat surprised when she received the invitation to compete in the Olympics for the Cayman Islands. In fact, she would be the first person from the Cayman Islands to run the 400m in the Olympics. “I was a little shocked because personally I was struggling a bit throughout my outdoor season. At first, I wasn’t sure if I should go, but Coach Rovelto told me it would be an opportunity of a lifetime,” she recalls.
Her coach, Director of Cross Country and Track and Field at K-State, Cliff Rovelto, is not a stranger to the Olympics. He has personally coached 17 Olympians, who have made a combined 22 appearances, and was the Assistant Coach for Team USA at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics. He provided Shalysa with a regimen while she was training in Jamaica over the summer, prior to going to more training in Florida, and finally, Tokyo.
As part of the Pan American Sports Organization, she was able to travel to Tokyo for a training camp about a week before the Olympic Village opened up to athletes. “I’m super grateful for that, as being there a bit earlier helped me get used to not only the time change but the climate as well.”
She said growing up in the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, and then running in Louisiana, did slightly help her acclimate to the hot and humid conditions, but she also knew she would need to increase her water intake even more than usual to stay hydrated.
Shalysa doesn’t feel her experience in Japan was impacted much by COVID. They were limited to staying in the Olympic village and were tested for COVID every day.
She recalls being star-struck the day of her race. “I was going down the elevator and Allyson Felix (five-time Olympian, 11-time Olympic medalist for team USA), came in and we were in the elevator together! I was so speechless, I honestly just smiled, but I was fully screaming inside because she’s my favorite athlete of all time and I couldn’t believe I was right there with her.”
In her Olympic debut, Shalysa finished the 400m with a personal best time of 53.61. However, placing seventh in her heat kept her from advancing to the semi-finals. “I learned that no matter what time you come into the competition with doesn’t determine how you’ll end up doing, and one thing I learn at every major competition is not to doubt myself. Competing at the Olympic Games really left me with a different mindset, especially in training, because I know that I am capable of competing with the best of the best, and now that I’ve gotten a feel of it, I’m eager for more.”
Shalysa is open to turning pro before she plans to graduate in December 2022. Even if she does have an opportunity to be a professional runner for the Cayman Islands, she plans to finish her degree online. “A college education is important to me because one, I’m the first person in my family to attend college, and two, it gives me something to fall back on in case track doesn’t work out for me or I want to do something after my track career. My professors at K-State are great, and they’re very supportive. The College of Business offers so many opportunities for students. It’s amazing, really.”