The difficulties of the past year are behind former Wichita State University sprinter Paula Garcia. She can enjoy her spot on Spain’s 2024 Olympic team. 

“It’s a little bit hard for me to believe I did it,” said Garcia, who dealt with multiple injuries recently. “I’m really excited to see what it looks like and to live the Olympic Games.” 

Garcia, who ran for the Shockers from 2017-2022, is a member of Spain’s six-person 400-meter relay team. The relay is Aug. 8, and coaches will select four athletes to run in the days leading up to the race. The final is Aug. 9. 

Garcia, from Madrid, locked up her spot on the Olympic team by winning the 100 meters at the Spanish Championship with a time of 11.46 seconds earlier this summer. She ran a personal best of 11.36 in the semifinals. 

“I knew the race could change my life,” she said.  

She overcame foot, knee and hamstring injuries over the past year. In May, her health improved, and she pushed for her spot on the team. Garcia, who majored in marketing and earned her MBA at Wichita State, worked as chapter manager of The Entrepreneurs Organization in Madrid while training and competing. 

“I had a lot of things against me,” she said. “I had to be realistic. Making the Olympics is really hard. There are injuries, it’s hard to qualify and it’s only once every four years.” 

Garcia will travel to Paris in early August. She is excited to see events such as gymnastics and beach volleyball and explore Paris.  

“The ambience and the vibe is going to be awesome,” she said. 

Garcia holds WSU’s indoor mark in the 200 meters (23.61 seconds) and ranks in the top 10 in four other sprints.  

“I definitely got stronger and faster at Wichita State,” she said. “And I got mentally strong. I competed a lot. That’s really helped me deal with being tired.” 

Garcia is the 12th track and field Olympian or Paralympian from Wichita State.