Perhaps it’s just my love for track and field, or maybe this truly is a hidden treasure that just hasn’t been tapped into yet, but I can’t explain just how hyped up I am to have learned that we have a professional track team practicing right here in El Paso!!! Whaaaaat???!!! I know, right? Putting in work at local area high school tracks and local gyms, you can find the team members who are part of the Hanany Olympic Project, coached by former olympian, Mickael Hanany. I had the privilege of interviewing Coach Hanany to find out a little bit about the team, how they landed here in El Paso, and what some of their upcoming goals are for this track season.

So let’s start with who Mickael Hanany is and how he ended up in El Paso. Recruited by SMU, Hanany came to the United States from France through a track and field opportunity for high jump. Unfortunately, Title 9 led to the men’s track program getting cut, which then re-routed Hanany to UTEP, a choice he made while multiple big offers were presented to him. Here he competed and won national championships (NCAA) in 2008 and proceeded to become an olympic competitor, which he humbly tried to leave out of the interview…but nothing gets past me; I had already done my due diligence to cyber stalk his professional achievements before reaching out for the interview. From there, he settled down in El Paso where he and his family now live.

This cleared up my question of how he landed and stayed in El Paso, but then I inquired as to how he ended up building a team of athletes, most of whom were not originally from the U.S to create this team of now 16 participants. Oddly enough, the formation of the team started developing on its own. About to retire from track, Hanany came across athletes who his friend used to train who were in need of a new coach; they went to him and asked if he could start coaching them. Beginning with a group of about 6 athletes, through hard work and continued success, he attracted more and now has a team of 16! Some of their accomplishments include: