Chapter 7: LaTanya Sheffield — From Hurdler to Olympic Coach

The Starting Blocks

Los Angeles, 1988. The stadium roars as women’s 400-meter hurdlers crouch in the blocks. Among them is LaTanya Sheffield, typically described as a hurdler but built with a sprinter’s speed and a runner’s endurance. The pistol fires, and she explodes forward — clearing each barrier with power and rhythm until she crosses the line as an Olympian.

The 400 hurdles is one of the most unforgiving events — it demands sprinting, pacing, technical precision over barriers, and mental toughness. Sheffield raced with all those elements. In 1985 she set the American record in the event. She went on to compete at the 1987 World Championships and made the 1988 Olympic final. 

Yet her story didn’t end when she left competition. Instead, she turned her experience into influence.

Coaching on the World Stage

Sheffield’s coaching résumé is rich and international. Before being named head coach for Team USA Women’s Track & Field in 2024, she served in supporting roles at multiple Olympic Games. For instance:

• She was assistant coach for women’s sprints and hurdles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

• She’s also led the U.S. women’s sprints, hurdles, and relays at those Games before eventually being elevated to head coach. 

These prior Olympic coaching roles gave her a frontline view of how to lead a national team, manage pressure, and coordinate elite-level performance across disciplines.

Coaching the Next Generation

At Long Beach State, Sheffield became a central figure in developing hurdlers, sprinters, and relay teams. She infuses technical detail with mentorship, guiding athletes not only in how to clear barriers, but in how to navigate identity, expectations, and purpose.

When she was named Head Coach for Team USA Women’s Track & Field for Paris 2024, it was both symbolic and earned: she shifted from assisting support to the strategic helm. 

Legacy, In Motion

Sheffield’s story is still unfolding, but already her impact is clear: athletes she’s coached carry her influence into their own lives and careers. Her journey shows that knowledge earned in the heat of competition translates into leadership on the world stage.

When she steps into the coaching box at Paris, she carries more than a clipboard: she carries decades of experience as a hurdler, assistant coach, and now head coach — fully prepared to guide others over the barriers she’s long known.

The Unstoppable Lesson

Being unstoppable doesn’t mean skipping assistant roles or bypassing preparation. It means serving, learning, earning your way up, and then leading with everything you’ve collected.

LaTanya Sheffield proves that the path from hurdler to assistant coach to head coach is not a detour — it’s a powerful arc of growth.

Hear the full story and reflections on the Unstoppable Podcast → Now streaming on http://UnstoppablePodcast.net and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Long Beach State Athletics (Website)

LaTanya Sheffield - Long Beach State (Website)