TOKYO — Nevin Harrison was 14 years old when the doctor told her she was finished. All she’d ever wanted to be was an athlete. But athletics, she was told, weren’t feasible.
She was, at the time, a multi-sport star with Olympic dreams. “I always dreamed of it being in track,” she said. She ran the 100- and 200-meter sprints, and “loved it so much.”
But then came the hip pain, and the doctor’s appointments. Harrison was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, a condition most commonly found in dogs. Her hip socket and thighbone weren’t properly connected. Running hurt, and then really hurt.