There was a point in Shane Cohen’s journey where he thought that his running days were behind him. He was a standout basketball player in high school, and looked to explore his options as a basketball player, or even just as a regular student.
Now, he’s starting to find his groove as an elite track and field men’s 800m runner, and the world is starting to know the name Shane Cohen.
Cohen electrified and won over the track and field world with not only his performances at the NCAA Championships, where he won the men’s 800m national title, and at the U.S. Olympic Trials, where he finished in sixth place in the finals of the men’s 800m, but with the story of his remarkable journey as well.
Cohen entered into the transfer portal as a graduate transfer after a remarkable career at the University of Tampa, a Division II school. He said that he suffered a stress fracture prior to entering into the portal, which led to him having an 800m time of 1:53.
He was being recruited by Virginia Tech and Duke, but found a home at the University of Virginia after taking a visit. While he admitted to not knowing much about legendary coach Vin Lananna until after he committed to the team, the close and unique team atmosphere drew Cohen to UVA, which is something that he values, and what allows him to be competitive and grow as an athlete.
“That’s a huge part of the team culture and the team that you’re with,” he said. “I went to Virginia because I love the guys and I have a great time with everyone – it’s a good team culture to be a part of.”
Some may look at Cohen’s times early on while competing for UVA and find it amazing that he improved at the speed that he did throughout the season. That was no surprise to Cohen, as he admits to only racing the time that he needs to win the race, regardless of how fast, or slow that might seem.
The transition from Division II to a major Division I program was not initially easy for Cohen, as he worked hard to find his groove and compete with some of the best talent in the nation. As the season progressed, he continued to improve, and his times continued to drop in the men’s 800m.
“If people know how I race, the timeline does make sense,” he said. “I got better every single bigger race that I had. I’m confident in the way I race, now it’s learning the little critique things and making sure that I’m ready – obviously I’m at a level that I’ve never raced at before. I think that was the biggest adjustment going towards everything.”
Cohen continued to carry the momentum into the NCAA postseason, and he began to open the eyes to those who weren’t familiar with him as a runner. He finished in third place at the ACC Championships in the men’s 800m. He qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene after finishing in second place at the NCAA Preliminary Championships. It was then in Eugene in what was then the biggest stage of his career, where he outkicked his opponents to win the national title with a then- personal best time of 1:44.97. That was only the beginning for Cohen.
A few weeks later in the finals of the men’s 800m, Cohen was on the outside looking in, as he was at the back of the pack during the race. But instead of panicking, he used his skillset and his confidence to finish in sixth place with a new personal best time of 1:44.65. Cohen rose to the occasion every time he competed and improved at every outing.
“Every single race since ACC’s was the biggest race of my career,” he said. “It was me trying to elevate my game and keep matching. It’s a learning experience. It’s been a surreal year coming off of NCAA’s and stuff.”
Cohen’s racing style has been compared to another 800m standout, Robbie Andrews, who was known for his phenomenal kick. Cohen admits that his coach Vin Lananna doesn’t care for his style of racing, but he allows Cohen to run the race that he knows how to, which has paid dividends.
“A big thing that I was taught in high school was don’t race for time, just race to win and the time will come with it,” he said. “That has been a really big thing for me, and that’s where the sitting and kicking came from. So it keeps working, so I kind of keep rolling with it.”
Cohen says that his confidence stems from his high school basketball days, where he averaged 21 points a game and was a second-team All-State honoree. While he was disappointed in not making the Olympic team, he’s using the result as a learning experience and believes that if the race were run again, the results would be different.
“I said to everyone after the race that the fairytale ending did not go my way,” he said. “If the race happened again, knowing exactly how I was going to go out, I really think I would have made the team. I think it was just the lack of experience racing at that level.”
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