One of the world’s fastest women attended Clemson. Her Olympic return is on hold
Natoya Goule is a celebrity in her home country of Jamaica.
The Jamaican record holder in the 800 meter run, Goule (pronounced Gool) was named a finalist for the Sportswoman of the Year in her country in 2019.
She has won the Jamaican national title every year since 2013, competed in the 2016 Olympics and is currently ranked No. 4 in the world in her marquee event — the 800. In short, Goule is one of the fastest women in the world.
“I don’t think she can go anywhere (in Jamaica) where no one knows who she is,” Clemson track-and-field coach and Goule’s personal coach Mark Elliott said.
Elliott is also from Jamaica and believes, after soccer, that track-and-field athletes are the most popular in Jamaica. The fact that Goule has found plenty of success on an international level is a big deal in her home country.
“When I go back to Jamaica they know me. Like, ‘Natoya Goule!’ They call me by my whole name or they say ‘Goule!’” she recently told The State.
But in Goule’s current home in Clemson, South Carolina, where she trains and is a volunteer assistant coach for the Tigers, she blends in. Few know that Goule was set to compete in the 2020 Olympics before they were postponed due to the coronavirus.
And not only was she set to compete, Goule was expected to contend for her first Olympic medal.
Goule has been running since she was a small girl and has been successful every step along the way, including winning the NCAA championship in the 800 while running for Clemson in 2015.
One of the last boxes to check off the 29-year-old’s list of accomplishments is winning an Olympic medal, and while she will have to wait an extra year to have the opportunity to compete due to the coronavirus, Goule lives by faith and says she will be ready when her time comes.
“It would mean the world to me,” Goule said. “That’s my dream, to get an Olympic medal since I was younger and seeing others. If I could get a gold medal or silver or bronze, that’s my dream.”
Coming to America
Elliott still remembers the first time he saw Goule run.
He was on staff at LSU and on a recruiting trip to Jamaica when the future college star caught his eye as a teenager. Goule seemed to dominate every event she appeared in. Elliott took notice.
“What impressed me about her in the meet I saw her run, was she was doing multiple events and was the best person in basically all of them,” he recalled. “From 400 up to 3,000 meters, she had that range. ... She was probably the smallest person in the race but was controlling it. It seemed like she always gave 100 percent, gave her best all the time. Across the board I would say she’s one of the best that I’ve ever seen in terms of the first time I saw her.”
Elliott began recruiting Goule then and the two would soon form a bond. Goule wanted to go to LSU immediately out of high school, but school requirements in Jamaica are different than in the United States and she had to attend a junior college first.
Goule spent two years at South Plains Community College in Levelland, Texas and dominated JUCO competition, winning 10 NJCAA titles in two years.
From there it was on to LSU, where the success continued while running under Elliott.
Goule swept the indoor and outdoor 800-meter national championships during her one season at LSU in 2013. When Elliott left for Clemson before Goule’s senior season in 2014, she followed him. Goule had to sit out a year as a transfer but she didn’t mind.
“He’s like a father figure to me,” she said. “He’s a really caring person. He always wants the best for me.”
Goule won the indoor national title during her one season at Clemson in 2015, finishing her college career with three national titles. She also earned three All-American honors during her one season at Clemson and is considered one of the best track-and-field athletes in Clemson history.
Upon graduation she competed professionally while volunteering with Elliott at Clemson. And as long as he is there she will continue to train under him and work under him.
“She’s like a daughter to me. That’s the reason she’s around,” Elliott said. “It’s great for our relationship and it’s great for the program when you have athletes like her. ... It gives your program more credibility as it relates to kids having aspirations of being on the Olympic level competing.”
International success
While Goule described winning three national championships during her college career as incredible, nothing can compare to her experience at the Olympics.
Goule did not advance past the prelims at the 2016 summer Olympics, but just being in Brazil and competing is a moment she will cherish for the rest of her life.
“Winning the NCAA is really good, but it’s just such an honor to be able to represent your country. Winning is not always everything,” Goule said. “So I would say my experience at the Olympics would probably be a highlight in my life because a lot of people may be one of the best in the world, but they didn’t get a chance to go to the Olympics because of injuries. Things happen when you get to the Olympic trials. But I was able to go represent my country. I think that was the highlight for me.”
Goule had a bit of bad luck not advancing to the semifinals or finals. The top two in each heat automatically advance, and she finished third with a time of 2:00.49. Her time was fast enough to finish first in two of the other eight heats had the drawing been different.
Since failing to advance at the 2016 Olympics, Goule has continued to improve and has performed well at several major events. She earned a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, a gold medal at the 2019 Pan-American Games and finished sixth at last year’s world championships.
She also ran her fastest time ever and set a new Jamaican national record at the 2018 IAAF Diamond League Monaco, finishing at 1:56:15.
“The thing about Natoya, she’s won at every level. Now she’s on the international level. She’s won there. Last year she was the Pan-American Games champion, running one of the fastest times ever run by a female on any level, any amount of years,” Elliott said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, if you’re athletically inclined and work hard you can compete with the best of them.”
‘It’s not my time yet’
When Goule came up short at the 2016 Olympics, she simply told herself, ‘It’s not my time yet.’
“I always have faith and trust God that one day it will be my time,” she said. “It was really frustrating but I was really proud that I was able to represent my country at my first Olympic games.”
With the 2020 Olympics being postponed until 2021, she once again has the same mindset.
“I do understand because it’s fair for everyone,” Goule said. “Am I disappointed? Yes, but it’s fair for everyone. I understand for the safety.”
Goule is continuing to train outdoors and doing long-distance runs so she’ll be ready when competition resumes.
Had the Olympics been held this year she would have been a favorite to contend for a medal. And assuming they take place next year, she will be a favorite then as well along with Ajee Wilson and Raevyn Rogers of the United States and Halimah Nakaayi and Winnie Nanyondo of Uganda. Those four, along with Goule, are currently ranked as the top five in the 800 meter in the world.
“My time is waaaay better, like three seconds faster than what I was (in 2016). My chances would’ve been better,” she said. “Going into the Olympics the pressure would be on me, along with a couple of more 800 meter runners, because I’m ranked in the top 5 in the world this year. So far I’ve run the fastest 800 indoors. So definitely pressure to be a contender.
“But I do not let those things get to me. I live by faith. If it’s my time, it’s my time.”
Elliott has had plenty of talks with Goule about staying in a good place mentally during this time of uncertainty and continuing to train the best she can.
After first spotting Goule as a teenager running in Jamaica, he would love nothing more than to see her earn an Olympic medal.
“Just the leaps and bounds from high school to junior college to winning several NCAA championships to now on to her professional career, I would say with her chance of hopefully medaling at the Olympics would be a full lifetime for a track-and-field athlete,” Elliott said, “from the high school/primary level all the way up to the international level. And so far she just has one level to conquer as it relates to an Olympic or world championship.”
