Coming to voice: Intersections of identity for Olympic female African American sprinters

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to bring to voice and position US African American female Olympians’ lived experiences of selected identity components (i.e., race, gender, athletic identity) as they navigated specific transitions during their competitive careers. Informed by Consensual Qualitative Research methods (CQR) including a semi-structured interview guide, 10 US African American female Olympians were interviewed regarding their experiences as a Black female athlete (i.e., M = 48.1 years). A four-member research team constructed five domains and 19 categories to represent participants’ experiences including: (a) initial track and field experience; (b) transition to university; (c) university experience; (d) transition to Olympic and professional competition; and (e) Olympic and professional experience. Suggestions for future research are also given.

Lay summary: African American female track Olympians are visible in sport yet remain invisible in sport psychology research. Ten Olympians shared their identity transitions from early talent identification through recruiting and their collegiate experience to making the Olympic team through post-Olympic competition. Implications include the need for applied sport psychology professionals to understand: (a) the intersectional identity transitions and race-gendered experiences that African American female Olympians can face (i.e., this is essential so that we can offer culturally competent professional service delivery); (b) how African American female Olympians navigate white sport spaces (c) the lack of support structures needed for equitable access to practitioners; and (d) that Certified Mental Performance Coaches (CMPC) are uniquely situated to support athletes’ well-being and performance goals during these sport transitions.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [SRC]. The data are not publicly available due to [restrictions, e.g., their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants].