Athlete Bio
Shaquille Walker
"I was raised in a home with loving parents and competitive brothers." Shaquille Walker came from a big home. As an identical twin and one of six boys, he explained, "life was just a constant party!" The in-home competition proved to do well for Shaquille, as this spirit came out in full force early on through his tenacity on the track. While at Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill, GA, Shaquille was a two-time state champion in the 800 meters, and held the sixth-fastest high school 800 meter time in Georgia state history.
"I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, better known as Mormon." From Richmond Hill, Shaquille traveled across the country to attend Brigham Young University. After a year of school and competing, Shaquille set training aside to serve a two year mission to England. Shaquille commented, "People are always intrigued when they find that out! They usually have many questions. It was a great time of my life and talking about it always brings me fond memories." Upon his return to competition in 2014, Shaquille set school records in both the indoor and outdoor 800 meter race. He earned two NCAA Championship third place medals, and brought home multiple All-American honors. By the end of his career at BYU Shaquille owned six school records. Further, he earned a gold medal at the World University Games in Gwangju, Korea in the summer of 2015 as a member of Team USA. He also competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials as a member of the Brooks Beasts Track Club.
"My number one supporter and fan is my wife, Katarina. She constantly encourages me to never give up on my dreams." Married at 22, Shaquille states, "In this sport and at this age it is very rare to see that, but it has been the best thing I could have done!" When not thinking about running, Shaquille says, "I'm probably coming up with some business idea that I think will change the world. Admittedly, they usually aren't great ideas though." Following his running career, he would like to become a dentist, noting, "I love everything about the career, but especially the way it works with family time." In January 2018, Shaquille announced his retirement from full-time track to pursue a career in dentistry.