However, her newfound speed may have tripped her up at her next meet, when she fell really hard for the first time.
Harrison clipped the first hurdle and then stumbled into the second one, crashing to the track.
“It just happened so quick,” she said in an interview, “but going back and looking at the film, it was like I got a great start and I forgot to flex my trail foot. And just like that, ‘OK, now I’m down on the ground.’”
Fortunately, she just scraped her arm a bit but it shook her confidence a bit. In practice, she put renewed focus on her trail leg drills and reminded herself, “You need to pay more attention and work on your technique and you can’t forget about it.”
She has been undefeated since, with wins at the Texas Invitational and USATF Golden Games, clocking 12.48 seconds in both events to rank No. 2 on the world list behind Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico (12.32).
Harrison has the top time for American competitors, followed by Tonea Marshall at 12.52.
Now, she will go on to compete for gold in the Olympics for Team USA’s track and field team.