After American 1,500m record holder Shelby Houlihan finished her four-year doping ban, she wasted no time making her comeback–qualifying for the Indoor World Championships within just four races. At the weekend’s U.S. Indoor Championships in Staten Island, N.Y., the 32-year-old took second in the 3,000m and fourth in the 1,500m, and is the top contender for selection to Team U.S.A. in both events.
“I’m happy with second,” Houlihan said in a post-race interview on Saturday. “The biggest goal was to make the worlds team–and I still have four weeks to continue sharpening up and getting ready. Obviously I wanted to win–that last 50m, I thought, ‘I might have it.’” Houlihan clocked 8:48.43; a mere 0.4 seconds separated the top four racers. National champion Nikki Hiltz is opting to focus on outdoor Grand Slam Track season and will skip the world championships.
Houlihan went on to claim fourth in the 1,500m the following day, in a time of 4:06.82. “[My legs] are a little dead,” she said. “My body is not really used to racing these back-to-back days–I haven’t done that in four years.” She was the top finisher with world championship standard in the event–meaning, she’s once again the top contender to be named to Team U.S.A. The athlete said if she’s selected for both, she’ll race both. The Indoor World Championships are set for Nanjing, China, from March 21-23.
Double world standard? No problem
In her first two official races in four years, Houlihan snagged world indoor standards in both the 3,000m and 1,500m. At her season opener on Feb. 1 at the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas, she clocked 8:31.56, and in Boston, just a week later, she ran a 4:20.30 mile. Despite the buzz surrounding her return, Houlihan says she hasn’t face significant backlash at competitions. “It’s been nothing but positive so far, in all my races,” she said.
Though she doesn’t feel fully back to form, Houlihan revealed that years of solo workout sessions have made her more comfortable with leading races. “I prefer leading, honestly,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of good practice doing that the last four years, so that’s where I’m comfortable.”
“I just need to get back to racing like myself,” she said. “I’m racing a little scared, and I realize that–I need to work on that. I think four years ago, I raced in the U.S. like no one was going to beat me, and I need to get back there.
“I knew if I could just shut my mind off and race, then I was going to be good,” she said. “I’ve been doing time trials these last few years–it just felt good to race.”
The official roster of athletes set to represent Team USA at worlds is yet to be announced. Click here for full results from the U.S. Indoor Championships.
