Juliette Whittaker, a 20-year-old mid-distance runner from Laurel, MD, qualified for the 2024 Olympics earlier this summer by running a time of 1:57.76 in the women’s 800m semifinal, to advance to the finals in Paris. In a close race, she finished in third place by a split second. Having grown up in Laurel and running track for most of her life, Whittaker was able to take her Maryland pride to the Olympic stage.
Whittaker currently runs for Stanford University, but before that she attended Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, MD. Her high school success in track is what put her on a fast track to her current standings. According to GoStanford.com, in 2022 Whittaker beat a national high school outdoor record, running a 1:59.04 800m. She also won the high school mile at both the 2022 Penn Relays and the New Balance Indoor Nationals in the same year. Whittaker was the nation’s No. 1 recruit by her MileSplit.
In addition to her athletic success, Whittaker also made meaningful connections and friendships as a high schooler. Multiple local students who remember Whittaker from high school remark about her friendly and kind demeanor, and are supporting her from afar in her Olympic trials. One student, Chidinma Onukwugha, who now attends Johns Hopkins University, reminisced on what it was like attending Mount de Sales with Whittaker.
“She was an insane athlete even then, but even with how good she was she was super humble and sweet. She definitely deserves to have made it as far as she has,” Onukwugha said.
Natalie Wheeler ‘27 also attended school with Whittaker while at Mount de Sales, and verified Onukwugha’s comments about Whittaker’s kind personality.
“Juliette Whittaker is the sweetest girl. She was always there for everyone at MDSA, and she’s definitely a kind soul. She was someone you could come to if you needed because she was so sweet, she had your back,” Wheeler said.
Whittaker has carried this humble, caring spirit with her to present competitions. In an Instagram post, Whittaker made sure to specifically thank the people who helped her get to the Olympics, recognizing that she did not do it all on her own.
She said, “And now one for the people that got me here. For a sport that isn’t considered a team sport, running is ironically far from an individual sport, and man does my village prove that. Thank you all for inspiring me, for supporting me, and for loving me.”
The Baltimore area has now supported multiple Olympic athletes, and students are proud to watch their former classmates compete on the big stage. Wheeler commented on Whittaker’s presence at the Olympics.
“It feels really cool to have someone local to us compete in the Olympics. It was amazing to watch her run. I definitely tuned in, me and my whole family,” Wheeler Said
Whittaker made her mark in Paris, finishing seventh in the world in the women’s 800m after posting a 1:58.50 time. Though she was mildly disappointed with the placement, Whittaker acknowledged that it was a privilege to have been able to compete in the games at all.
After the games, Whittaker looks forward to heading home to spend some quality time with her family.
In an interview for LetsRundot.com, she said, “I think I am still going home, I have to talk to my coach. I think it’d be nice just to be with family and to hangout back on the East Coast.”
