VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — From the heat of the July mornings to being around a familiar running community, the summer track meets in Hampton Roads make Michaela Rose feel right at home.
The Suffolk native, who was homeschooled growing up in the area, made a name for herself those invitationals.
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"I don't miss how long these days are," she said with a laugh, "but I do miss seeing the kids race and see friends and family working."
The national champion runner at LSU back home on Saturday to help with the Faith in Action Invitational at Tallwood High School. The meet hosted more than 400 athletes from ages 5-18.
It doubled as an opportunity to not only work with some of the runners, but to also become a fan again. Rose watched as her younger sister, Michailyn, competed in four different events throughout the day.
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"This is my first time watching her run in a while," Michaela said. "I still get nervous because we're competitors, we don't like to lose."
"She hasn't seen me run in a while so I felt like I had to do good to give her something to remember," said Michailyn. "I really value that she cares about my career."
It's a nice change of pace for the elder Rose after a month filled with chaos. She competed at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to start off June, then returned to Eugene, Oregon to run in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
She qualified for the finals of the women's 800 meter run with a 1:59.00 performance in the semifinals. The rising senior at LSU got out to a nice start in the finals, leading after a lap and looking poised for a top three finish. Down the stretch, however, Rose fell back to fourth and turned in a 1:59.32 time.
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It left her just one spot shy of competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
"I told my coaches and family that finishing fourth place hurt much worse than getting sixth place last year," she said. Rose took that sixth place at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2023. "But it's a higher place so we're getting closer and closer."
Her time off since has gone quickly, with just a week to come back home after the trials. Still, that week has helped Rose find some reassurance after coming so close to an Olympic dream.
"Coming back home and having people encourage me, like my church family telling me how proud they are of me," she said. "They remind me that it's not just about winning and making teams, it's about who you represent."
That connection with her hometown still makes her prideful and gives her a reason to invest in meets like the FIA Invitational.
"I wouldn't want to just get big and never do anything for my people again," Rose said. "I love the people here and I want to see them excel and make it to the big leagues."
"It's really uplifting for the kids to see that," Michailyn said. "To say, 'She came from the place like I did, so I can do that too.'"
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Rose returns to Baton Rouge this week to embark on her senior season with goals to break a collegiate record in the 800 meter run and to help lead the Tigers to a national championship.
Her hopes for the Olympics will have to wait for the 2028 Games, but she's never been more steadfast in the belief that her time is coming.
"I'm going to get there one day," Rose said. "It just takes a little bit more effort, a little bit more time, and a little bit more patience."
