Reigning U.S. Indoor 60-meter hurdles champion and professional athlete Gabriele Cunningham, a three-time All-American at North Carolina State, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss the elite field assembled to compete Feb. 13 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y., in what will be her final meet of the winter season. During Black History Month and following the recent National Women in Sports Day, Cunningham celebrates that all the athletes in the 60-meter hurdles field — Keni Harrison, Queen Claye, Sydney McLaughlin, Tiffany Porter, Brittany Anderson and Jeanine Williams — are not only Black, but great athletic ambassadors for their respective countries. She also expresses gratitude for events like the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and American Track League series in Arkansas that provide opportunities for professional athletes during the pandemic, especially being able to be seen on ESPN like she was Feb. 7 at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, when she placed third in a season-best 8.08 seconds. Cunningham revisits her recent fall training in comparison to past years, and speaks about she and coach Allen Johnson being creative with their workout schedules, in order to accommodate for weight training in the garage of her strength coach not always being a similar schedule each week. She reflects on returning to competition for the first time in 353 days when she ran 8.17 in her indoor opener Feb. 1 at the Virginia Beach Invitational. Cunningham analyzes the new surfaces at both Virginia Beach and Randal Tyson, in addition to the protocols and guidelines to allow her to race during the pandemic. She speaks about her potential to run under the 8-second barrier for the first time this year and the fourth time during her career after a personal-best 7.92 last season, and how she hopes to use the momentum from the indoor season to achieve greater success outdoors in the 100-meter hurdles, culminating at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Cunningham also reacts to Kamala Harris being the new vice president, and what her nomination means to African-American women.

DYESTAT DISCUSSIONS - EP66 - GABRIELE CUNNINGHAM