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Rolla Olympian Is Relying On Her Hometown To Help Her Bid For 2020 Summer Games

Chantae McMillan meets with supporters at a fundraiser at her hometown of Rolla.
Jonathan Ahl | St. Louis Public Radio
Chantae McMillan meets with supporters at a fundraiser at her hometown of Rolla.

ROLLA — Chantae McMillan came back to her hometown for the holidays, in part for some help as she looks to qualify for the Summer Games in Tokyo next year.

“Olympic athletes don’t get a paycheck,” McMillan said at a fundraiser at Public House Brewing Company in Rolla. “We rely upon sponsors. And I have always been able to rely on people in Rolla who have always helped me.”

This fundraiser, put on by the Rolla Multisport Club and attended by more than 100 people, was intended to bring in enough money to buy McMillan a new javelin and case.

McMillan competed in the 2012 Olympics in the Heptathlon, but she fell short of qualifying for the games in 2016. For 2020, she is focusing on just one track and field event and wants to make the U.S. team for javelin throw. 

“Training for one thing instead of a seven-event competition is a lot different. The mindset is different, weightlifting is different, the focus is much more specific,” McMillan said.

McMillan primarily trains in Alabama, but she comes back often and works out at Rolla Junior High or Missouri University of Science & Technology.

“It’s rare for me to be working out in either of those places and not have someone come up to me and ask me how things are going and talk about the Olympics,” McMillan said. “That’s the number one reason I love coming back here and giving back to the community when I have the time.”

McMillan has run youth sports camps in Rolla in the past and plans to again in the future.

She said the fundraiser exceeded her expectations.

“This is great. This is perfect to help my buy those two things, and then whatever is left over I use to help with my other funds that I need for medical and travel,” McMillan said.

McMillan is planning several competitions in the spring, possibly including the Dewey Allgood Invitational in Rolla in April. The Olympic Trials for track and field will be in Oregon in June.

Follow Jonathan on Twitter: @JonathanAhl

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Jonathan Ahl joined Iowa Public Radio as News Director in July 2008. He leads the news and talk show teams in field reporting, feature reporting, audio documentaries, and talk show content. With more than 17 years in public media, Jonathan is a nationally award-winning reporter that has worked at public radio stations in Macomb, Springfield and Peoria, IL. He served WCBU-FM in Peoria as news director before coming to Iowa. He also served as a part-time instructor at Bradley University teaching journalism and writing courses. Jonathan is currently serving a second term as president of PRNDI ââ
Jonathan Ahl
Jonathan Ahl reports from the Rolla Bureau for St. Louis Public Radio. His duties also include covering central and southern Missouri for Harvest Public Media. Before coming to St. Louis Public Radio in November of 2018, Jonathan was the General Manager for Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, Illinois. He previously was the News Director at Iowa Public Radio and before that at WCBU in Peoria, Illinois. Jonathan has also held reporting positions in central Illinois for public radio stations. Jonathan is originally from the Chicago area. He has a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Western Illinois University and an M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He is an avid long distance runner, semi-professional saxophonist and die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.