The 2023 season brought great success to many professional track and field athletes across the world, and it showcased a new wave of talent in the sport in certain events.
One of the athletes who had a monster season was Krissy Gear, who competes in the women’s 3000m steeplechase.
In her first season as a professional athlete, Gear took home the win in the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the USATF Outdoor Championships, giving Gear her first senior national championship and giving her the bid for the World Championships in Budapest, which was her first time competing at a major championship meet.
While Gear’s performances on the track were spectacular, her attitude and perspective towards not only the sport, but life is unique in its own right. Gear’s easy going and cheerful demeanor towards others comes from her wanting the best for those that she comes across, even if they don’t feel the same way.
“I feel like I have, whether it’s for better or for worse, made my entire personality based around what I wish I had, or what I wish I could get from the world,” she said. “For some people, their reality is that they just feel like some people are out to get them, or (people) are not in their corner or not rooting for them. And I want them to see the world where there are a lot more people who want to see you succeed than you realize. People want to see you succeed, people are rooting for you. And so I want to be that person. I want to be that hype man.”
When it comes to gravitating to hope, nothing is too small in the eyes of Gear. She wanted to perform better than she did at the World Championships this past season in Budapest, but even in the midst of disappointment, she found joy in meeting others, learning lessons and enjoying the experience that she had in Budapest last summer. The little things in life give her great joy, even when things might not go as she’d hoped.
“I’m in a world with a big goal of making it to the (World Championships final.) And I knew that if I ran to my capabilities, I could do it,” she said. “I obviously did not make it. And your option is A, be really sad and upset about it and base your life around a result that you turned out. Or, look at the small victories and say that you made it here – what other little things can you find? It’s really cool to have a north star and something that you’re striving for, but if you come up short of that, there are so many things that you can look around and be thankful for. So I think that is a base source of my joy – trying not to forget the little things. I’m still very much directed by the big things and the big goals that I have. But even if I don’t always attain those, there’s so many other little things to be overjoyed about. You have to grab on to whatever hope you can find, and take it and run with it.”
The joy that Gear has also brings perspective and wisdom. Gear has big goals this season as the 2024 Olympic Games rapidly approaches. She also competes in one of the most competitive events in the sport, where many athletes will be vying for a spot on the Olympic Team. Regardless of how she does next summer, Gear’s definition of success goes beyond any result on the track, especially if she gave it her best.
“Just at the level that everyone is at, there’s a chance that I could run the exact same time, maybe even faster next year and be fourth, and be eight and maybe not make it to the finals, just because that’s the level that people are at and they’re elevating themselves,” she said. “If I don’t make the Olympic team and I still run really well, my success should not be judged by someone else’s. Let’s say I finish fourth, and the top 3 go to the Olympics – it doesn’t mean I failed because I didn’t make the team, it just means that they had a better day. So why is my success determined on how I performed in relation to someone else’s? I do have goals, but I know that if I throw everything that I have at them and I come up short, it’s not a me thing, it’s just everyone else is doing well and that’s fine. It doesn’t make me a failure because everyone else is succeeding.”
Gear’s faith is another source of the joy and the peace that she has. She knows that no matter what happens, in the end God has a plan for her.
“It’s a lot of why I have the peace that I have, even if I come up short of my goals,” she said. “Obviously I have these goals, and I want to achieve xyz. I believe that if I’m meant to achieve xyz and if it’s in God’s plan, then I will. If I come up short of xyz and I put my all into it, it’s because God has a different plan and that’s fine. So I think I found a lot of peace in that.”
