Shannon Solares-Rowbury (born September 19, 1984) is an American middle-distance runner from San Francisco, California. After competing collegiately for Duke University, she turned professional in 2007. Rowbury has represented the United States at the 2008, 2012, and 2016Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 2012, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the event. [4] She also represented the United States at the World Championships in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, winning the bronze medal in the 1500 meters in 2009.[5] In 2015, Rowbury helped set the world record with the U.S. team for the distance medley relay event,[6] and set a then-American record for 1500 meters on July 17, 2015, breaking Mary Slaney's 32 year-old mark with a time of 3:56.29.[3][7]
Personal life
Rowbury was born in San Francisco, California. She grew up in the Parkside section of the Sunset District neighborhood in San Francisco. In 2002, Rowbury graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco. Rowbury attended Duke University and studied English and Theater and competed on the cross country and track and field teams for the school. In 2007, Rowbury graduated from Duke magna cum laude in English and Theater Studies with a certificate in Film/Video/Digital Studies.[8] She completed her master's degree at Duke in May 2008, with an emphasis on Film and Women's Studies.[9] In April 2007, Rowbury was diagnosed with a femoral neck stress fracture (hip joint), which abruptly put an end to her collegiate career at Duke University.[10]
Rowbury married Mexican-American runner Pablo Solares on April 11, 2015. She gave birth to their daughter on June 30, 2018.[11]
Running career
Collegiate
Rowbury set a school record for the mile in the indoor track season as a freshman at Duke. In her sophomore year she earned indoor All-American status, finishing in 8th place at the NCAA championships in the mile. In her junior year season she anchored Duke's first victorious distance medley relay team. As a senior, she helped Duke place third at the NCAA cross country championships. She redshirted her indoor and outdoor seasons of her senior year, but set Duke school records in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and steeplechase, the latter at 9.59.4.[12][13]
2007
Rowbury signed with Nike in June 2007. Her first six months of training under John Cook involved rehabilitation from her stress fracture. In November 2007, Rowbury competed at the Seagate Elite 5K Road Race in San Jose, California to assess her current fitness level coming back from her injury. She managed a second-place finish, with a time of 15:54.
2008
In January 2008, Rowbury enjoyed her first extended stint at altitude in central Mexico where she trained for six weeks with her coach and teammates. She returned to the United States in February to compete in the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, her first track race since her injury 11 months earlier. Rowbury went on to win the 3000 m in a personal best time of 8:55.19. In April 2008, Rowbury opened up her outdoor track campaign at the Duke Invitational, winning the 800 m by 12 seconds with a two-second personal best time of 2:02.76.
Her next race was in early May at the Payton Jordon Invitational at Stanford University where she hoped to achieve the Olympic A standard at 1500 m (4:07.00). Although Rowbury came up short of her goal while racing at Stanford, she did manage a five-second personal best at this distance with a time of 4:07.59.
Still seeking the Olympic A standard, Rowbury raced at the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, California on May 18, 2008. In the 1500 m, she won with a time of 4:01.61, improving another six seconds over her previous personal best. This performance placed Rowbury 5th all-time at 1500 m for United States females. In addition, her effort would have placed her 9th in the world rankings based on the 2007 IAAF world performance list. This performance gave her the Olympic A standard that she needed heading into the USATF Olympic Trials.
On July 6, 2008 at the USATF Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Rowbury placed first in the 1500 m final with a time of 4:05.48, followed by Erin Donohue and Christin Wurth-Thomas. The three qualified to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics based on their performance at the trials.[14]
Rowbury had the fourth-fastest time in the first-round heats of the women's 1500 m run in Beijing, qualifying for the finals.[15] She was the only American athlete to advance to the finals, where she placed seventh with a time of 4:03.58. Her seventh-place finish was (as of then) the best finish ever by an American woman in the 1500 meters at the modern Olympics.[16]
In 2010, Rowbury finished second in the 1500 meters at the US Indoor Championships, and third at the US Championships outdoors. On July 22, 2010, Rowbury improved her personal best in the 3000 m by 23 seconds with a time of 8:31.38, which was the third-best mark in U.S. history.[20][21]
In 2011, Rowbury finished third at the US Championships, qualifying her for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. There, she qualified for the semifinals, but was eliminated from the competition in the semi-final race.
2012
Rowbury finished second at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, qualifying her for her second consecutive Olympics. Morgan Uceny, who finished first at the trials, and Jenny Simpson, who finished third, also competed with Rowbury at the London Olympics. Rowbury initially finished sixth in the 1500 meters race at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[23] At the time, her sixth-place finish was the best finish ever by an American woman in the 1500 meters at the modern Olympics. Currently in fourth position following the disqualifications of Aslı Çakır Alptekin and Gamze Bulut, she stands to be upgraded to the bronze medal after Tatyana Tomashova was disqualified for doping in September 2024. Six of the top nine finishers in the event (not including Rowbury) have been either disqualified or linked to performance-enhancing drug use, with ESPN labeling it "one of the dirtiest [races] in Olympic history".[24][25]
2013
Rowbury began her season at the Drake Relays, finishing fourth in the 1500m with a time of 4:09.05.[26] After finishing fourth in the 1500 meters at the USATF Championships in June 2013 in a slow, tactical final, Rowbury was left off the World Championships team in the 1500 metres, her main event. She later finished third in the 5000 meters at the USATF Championships, qualifying her for her third consecutive World Championship team. Because Treniere Moser, who was on the World Championships team for the 1500 meters, pulled out due to a hamstring injury, Rowbury could have run the 1500 meters, but was forced to run the 5000 meters due to a technicality.[27] Rowbury finished 7th in the 5000 meters in Moscow, just behind her compatriot Molly Huddle. After the 2013 season, Rowbury's coach, John Cook, retired, and she switched coaches to Alberto Salazar, becoming a member of the Nike Oregon Project.[28]
On June 27, 2014, Rowbury finished second in the 5,000 meters US outdoor title in Sacramento, California with a time of 15:01.71, being passed by Molly Huddle in the final meters, who won in 15:01.56.[31]
After many years of trying Rowbury broke the four-minute barrier for the first time in the 1500m at the prestigious ParisDiamond League meeting on July 5. She recorded a time of 3:59.49 seconds. Just two weeks later at the MonacoDiamond League meeting she recorded a new lifetime best in the 5000m finishing behind American Record holder Molly Huddle in the race. Her time of 14:48.68[32] saw her go under the 15 minute barrier for the first time and slice 12 seconds off her previous personal best. She became the fourth-fastest American women ever over the distance.
After finishing second at the US Olympic Trials, Rowbury went on to finish 4th in the 1500m final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, behind her compatriot Jenny Simpson.
On August 27, 2016, Rowbury finished 4th in the 1500 meters in Stade de France, Paris, in 3:58.00.[42] On September 1 in the Diamond League 1500m final in Zurich, Rowbury outleaned Laura Muir, running a season's best time of 3:57.78. This was Rowbury's first ever 1500m victory in a Diamond League meeting. On September 9, Rowbury finished 5th in the 5000m in the Brussels Diamond League, breaking Molly Huddle's U.S. 5000m record, finishing in a time of 14:38.92.[43]
Rowbury was training for the 2020 U.S. Olympic track and field trials and aiming to make her fourth Olympic team. She suffered a stress fracture after the trials were rescheduled to 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and did not enter the trials as a result.[46]
*Distances have varied as follows: Mile (1967–2002), except 1997 and 1999, 2007 and odd numbered years since 2011, 1500 meters 1997, 1999, (2003–6, 2008–2010) and even numbered years since 2010
