By Jim Irish
Courtesy photos from UTSA
Brice Chabot suffered a concussion playing football at 16 years old for Smithville High School.
His doctor told him to find another sport. Chabot had also competed in basketball and baseball as a youngster. Instead, he focused on track.
It turned out to be the right choice.
At 10:33 p.m. central time on Thursday, Chabot will step to the starting line in the 200-meter dash at the U.S. Olympic trials at Haywood Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. Chabot’s parents, John and Martha Chabot, will be among the thousands of spectators.
Chabot, a 2021 alumnus of Smithville, qualified for the trials in the 200 by dipping twice under the minimum qualification of 20.60 seconds. He sped to a 20.49 at the UT San Antonio Invitational on March 16 and 20.56 seconds at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on May 13.
Thirty-five athletes, including world leader Noah Lyles, compete in 200
The field of thirty-five sprinters in the 200 will include seven who have run under 20 seconds. Noah Lyles, the world leader in the 200 this season and the bronze medalist in the event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, clocked 19.77 earlier this month. He also holds the American record in 19.31 and has said his goal is to break Jamaican Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19.
"If I were younger in college, I would find it a little bit intimidating. But now it is not. ... We're doing the same training. I can do it, too, if I put my race together."
-- Brice Chabot on competing against the best sprinters in U.S.
Chabot, 21, is undaunted competing against the nation’s best sprinters.
“If I were younger in college, I would find it a little bit intimidating,” Chabot said. “But now it is not. I see those times (of others in the 200), and it’s one of those ‘Why is he doing it?’ We’re doing the same training. I can do it, too, if I put my race together.”
Chabot, a muscular 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, actually qualified for the trials in both the 100 and the 200. He won the 100-meter dash in a personal record of 9.9 seconds at the Beach Invite in Long Beach, Calif. on April 13.
“I felt more comfortable doing the 200,” he said. “I see this as one more opportunity to try to get a PR and focus on the 200 for once.”
Chabot trains at Erhard Stadium at Bastrop High School
When home in Smithville, Chabot trains at Erhard Stadium in Bastrop under the eye of Anthony Davis. This past week, he has worked on accelerations, short speed bursts.
”I’ve been working on my steps,” he said. “This year, I had trouble on my steps, being as open as possible. Now, they’re (extending), and my times are coming down. That’ll help me run a great race.”
"I'm going out there to get a really fast qualifying time..."
-- Chabot
Chabot’s goal at the trials is to advance to the 200 semifinals at 10:28 p.m. on Friday. Nine athletes will advance to the finals at 9:49 p.m. on Saturday. The top three will make the U.S. Olympic team competing in Paris in July.
“I’m going out there and try to get a really fast qualifying time…,” he said. “As long as I can put the race together, I’m thinking 20.2.”
Whatever the outcome at the trials, Chabot, a rising senior, has entered the transfer portal and will depart UTSA. Florida State, Florida, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Houston have all come calling. His first choice is Houston because Carl Lewis, who won nine Olympic gold medals and held the world record in the 100, is the head track and field coach.
Chabot has encountered obstacles on the athletic road. After ending participation in football in high school, Chabot “felt lost, (with) no purpose.”
Christianity gives Chabot purpose, peace
His life changed significantly at 17 years old after his conversion to Christianity in a church service.
“I felt a sense of purpose, more peace, and a stronger connection to my faith,” he said. “It’s been a transformative experience, for sure.”
Despite competing in the Class 4A state track meet his senior year, Chabot did not receive much interest from Division I programs.
He said he held fast to Jesus' words in Mark 9:23, "Anything is possible if a person believes."
Chabot will cling to that scripture in the 200 on Thursday.
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas
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