At 5-foot-10, Danae Dyer easily clears the 33-inch barriers in her 100-meter hurdles event.
But only weeks before competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials with Olympians and a one-time world record holder, the former San Diego State University track star discovered her height was a problem.
“I’m just now learning like three weeks ago that I have to hurdle differently,” Dyer said after taking sixth in her semifinal Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.
The Temecula High School product born at Camp Pendleton is learning she has the speed — “it’s just my technique needs a lot of work. … I’m starting to understand it, but it’s taking a long time.”
Going into June, her best mark was 13.19 at the Oxy Invitational in Los Angeles. But at a last-chance meet June 8 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, she blasted a 12.98.
That helped her leapfrog dozens on the U.S. list (where she had been 51st as of June 2). She was on the Oregon trail.
In a first-round heat Friday, Dyer dashed 13.02. In Saturday’s third semifinal— where the top two automatically advanced — she ran 13.08. (Masai Russell, who competed at the world indoor championships last March in Scotland, won that heat in 12.36 seconds).
Dyer would have had to run 12.76 to make Sunday’s final.
Her self-critique?
“That’s OK,” said the Shelia Burrell-coached hurdler. “I mean — just to be here honestly is a great accomplishment for me. … Happy to be here tonight.”
Dyer — defraying expenses via a GoFundMe account — says competing at this level had been a dream since age 8 when she watched sprinter Allyson Felix on the world stage.
“So definitely, [it’s] been a goal and I always knew I could do it,” she said, adding she has a “lot left in the tank.”
Her late father Andre believed in her as well.
But when he died in April 2023, Danae considered hanging up her spikes, NBC7 reported this month,
“I seriously … wanted to quit. I wanted to quit college. I had so many dreams in track, I just wanted to stop,” she told Todd Strain. “My family, they pushed me and they told me that’s what he would have wanted me to keep going.”
Dyer is proud of her Trials experience.
“Mentally, I realize that I’m stronger than I think, for sure,” she told me Saturday in the Media Tent. “I didn’t have any doubts coming in. So I’m proud of myself for that. Honestly just teaching myself to go for it. Hurdles are crazy. So be a little crazy is kind of my takeaway from this. I need to be a little crazy.”
I asked her what she’d tell her mom, Dawn.
“No, she’s here. She’s here,” said Dyer, vowing to return to the Olympic Trials in 2028. “I’ll hug her right now and it’s just amazing to be here. I’m so happy to be here.”
