Rocket Profile: Paul Sehzue
8/29/2000 12:00:00 PM | Women's Track and Field
Aug. 29, 2000
By Tom Milajecki
University of Toledo Sports Information Intern
Toledo, OH - When the opening ceremonies for the 2000 Olympic Games take place in Sydney, Australia this September, University of Toledo track star Paul Sehzue will be there. But unlike most of his fellow Americans, Sehzue will not be lining up behind the stars and stripes. Instead, Sehzue will be walking behind the flag of a country he has never even visited--Liberia.
Sehzue, a senior on the Rocket track team, is able to represent the African nation due to an Olympic rule that allows individuals to compete for the native country of their father or mother. His father, Wonna Sehzue, was born in Liberia, allowing Paul to pursue his Olympic dreams.
"Its hard to believe that I have the opportunity to live out one of my dreams," said Sehzue. "When I was a little kid, I watched the Olympics on television and thought to myself that maybe one day I could go there. Now that I'm about to go, it is such a great feeling to know that all my hard work is paying off."
Sehzue is going to the Olympics thanks to his performance in the 110 hurdles at the 1999 Mid-American Conference Championships. Needing a time of 13.85 to qualify for the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain, Sehzue ran exactly that: 13.85. That time would later qualify Sehzue for an Olympic invitation when he was selected to Liberia's national team the following year. Sehzue is also slated to compete in the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay for Liberia.
"When Paul hit the Olympic standard in the 110 high hurdles, it was very exciting," said Toledo Men's Track Coach Kent Baker. "He had to check the wind recordings because all international standards have to meet very strict requirements. Everything checked out OK. Paul had qualified for the NCAA Championships, World Championships and the Olympics all in one race."
Sehzue arrives in Sydney on Aug. 31, where he will meet his Liberian teammates for the first time. Competing at track and field's largest stage is thrilling enough, but Sehzue is genuinely excited to be representing his father's homeland. He even has plans to visit the West African nation next summer to meet several of his relatives for the first time.
Sehzue, who gave up a promising college football career with the Rockets to realize his Olympic dreams, views this experience as a way of honoring his father. Wonna Sehzue came to the United States in 1972 for an education, and obtained dual-citizenship in 1990.
"I'm proud to represent Liberia, and to be able to do something for my father," said Sehzue. " It really is an honor to run for the people of his country."
Not surprisingly, Sehzue credits his father and his entire family for all of his success, on and off the track.
"My family was always there to knock me down a level when my head got too big, to pick me up when I got down on myself," said Sehzue. "My family will always be there for me."
When Sehzue finally settles into the starting blocks at Homebush Bay's Olympic Park, the biggest Olympic stadium ever built, his family will be back home in Ohio cheering his efforts on the world athletic stage. It's a stage Sehzue has been on before, so it's doubtful that he will be intimidated. He takes with him lessons learned from the 1999 World Championships in Seville.
"Spain was a great experience," said Sehzue "It was my first time at the professional level and I was humbled. But I knew I belonged. I know that one day I'll beat those guys. Maybe not this year, but someday soon. . ." Sehzue paused, then smiled.
"It will happen."
