On Oct. 9, track and field will come to Times Square when Athlos NYC, a women’s-only meet that will take place on Oct. 10 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, brings the qualifying round for the long jump to the heart of Manhattan. Dawn Harper-Nelson, who won Olympic gold in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Games and silver in the event at the 2012 London Games, will serve as the voice of the action.
“I’ll be an announcer when they’re shutting down a portion of Times Square for the field portion; groundbreaking,” she said. “They’ll have a long jump. There will be Olympic Champion Tara Davis-Woodhall. My job is to bring this to life, to help people understand the beauty, the craziness that they’re watching and how talented these women are. I’ll be talking all things track and field.”
She recently made a trip to New York to hype Athlos NYC at Envsn Festival, a series of events to inspire millennials and Gen Zers. Harper-Nelson came away duly impressed and loving the style and creativity.
“Athlos reached out to me and asked me to go,” said Harper-Nelson. “When I went there, it was all things womanhood, all things empowerment and access. They allowed women to ask questions to any and all kinds of people. It was really nice to be there and share my story, to encourage, inspire and answer questions.”
After a much decorated track career, Harper-Nelson turned to commentary and hosting. She was part of the NBC broadcast team for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. “It was really mind-blowing; you’re finally on this side of it,” she said. “You know what the athletes are going through, but to be able to share my personal experiences to help viewers understand behind the scenes was really nice.”
When she’s not working in television, Harper-Nelson returns to her home state of Missouri, where she and her husband, Alonzo Nelson, are raising two daughters, ages six and two. “Both of them really like running and want to race me,” Harper-Nelson said with a laugh, adding that she makes sure they know she’ll win. Whether they’ll follow in their parents’ footsteps — Nelson also ran track and now teaches math and coaches track at a high school — remains to be seen. For now, she’s focused on encouraging them to find their own passions.
“It can be sports or arts,” Harper-Nelson said. “My hope until the end of time is that they will know themselves. Sports and arts help you learn that.”