By Zorian Edwards, Editor-in-Chief
Wearing a black baseball cap and a gray Nike zip-up stamped with the Olympic rings, LaShawn Merritt paced back and forth at the front of the room, speaking with his hands as much as his words.
His voice carried across the room, rising and falling with emphasis as he moved, rarely standing still. Even in a space that wasn’t completely full, his presence commanded attention, turning a regular lecture into something more personal.
For Merritt, showing up is what built a career, one that started as punishment and turned into Olympic gold.
“When I got to high school, track was doing the same season [as baseball], so I decided to join,” Merritt said. “Coach made us run the 400 [meter dash] for punishment. Some guys in the team stole from a local Walmart, and he made us run it. I first ran it as a punishment and discovered how easy it felt for me.”
Merritt came to Daemen to speak to the student body on Feb. 18, to give an inspirational speech about what it means to be a person of Merritt.
Merritt specializes in the 400-meter dash. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Merritt won his first gold medal with a time of 43.750 seconds. At his third Olympic Games, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, he secured two medals, earning a gold in the 4×400-meter relay and bronze in the 400-meter individual event.
“I have two R’s and two T’s, so I got a double dose of Merritt, so I needed to really notice that and understand what my last name meant,” Merritt said. “I ran that first race. I ran well. I was coachable. I stayed the course. That was my junior year. My senior year, I ended up winning everything. States, nationals and junior nationals.”
That progression from being introduced to the 400-meter dash as a form of discipline, to excelling at the highest level in high school, marked a turning point in Merritt’s athletic career. What started as something accidental quickly became something intentional, as he began to recognize both his ability and his potential.
The discipline he relies on today was shaped long before he ever stepped onto an Olympic track.
“My dad used to go to work at 4 a.m., get off at 6, never complained, that type of guy,” Merritt said. “So I understood hard work and dedication. He always told me that a good name was worth more than silver and gold, and more pride over ego, you know, and more just understanding how important a good name is.”
His mother, an educator, emphasized accountability and balance, making sure academics and behavior were just as important as athletics.
That balance created an environment where success wasn’t measured by performance alone, but by consistency and accountability. Those expectations carried over into how Merritt approached training, competition and the responsibilities that came with being a student-athlete.
This foundation became even more significant after the loss of his older brother at 18. The experience shifted Merritt’s perspective, giving him a sense of urgency that carried into every aspect of his life.
“I learned life was short,” Merritt said. “It made me take things more seriously.”
That shift in perspective carried into how he approached both his sport and his daily life. What once started as something casual became something intentional, with each decision and effort reflecting a deeper understanding of time, discipline and purpose.
What began as structure at home and a difficult personal loss eventually turned into the mindset he carried onto the track, one built on consistency and showing up, even when it wasn’t easy.
What is “The Merritt Mindset”?
Now retired, Merritt brought more than medals to Daemen, he brought what he calls the “Merritt Mindset,” a philosophy he developed, centered on growth, accountability and self-awareness. His visit offered students, especially student-athletes, a look at what success means beyond the track.
Rather than focusing on medals or records, Merritt’s message centered on the habits that build success over time. His emphasis on consistency and accountability reframed achievement as something earned in small, repeated actions, not just in defining moments.
“I really take pride in how I handled the journey outside of just the medals that I had,” Merritt said. “I know as much as it’s a deal where it’s like you have to grind to shine that type of thing…You have a routine, you’re present in the preparation.”
While many associate elite athletes with constant competitiveness, Merritt explained that success in track comes from something more internal: learning how to manage pressure in the moments when it matters most.
“Because a lot of people think to be a top athlete…your competitive state has to be intense,” Merritt said. “But in my sport, it’s not a team sport. So it’s all about being competitive with yourself and executing, and you against the clock.”
Instead of focusing on beating others, Merritt emphasizes staying consistent when fatigue sets in, something he says ultimately determines the outcome of a race.
This approach challenges the traditional idea of competition. Instead of measuring success against others, Merritt’s mindset prioritizes personal discipline and self-awareness, skills that extend beyond athletics and into everyday life.
“At the end of races, it’s who decelerates the least who wins,” he said. “Everybody’s getting tired. Now it becomes who’s going to manage that stress better.”
That ability to handle pressure became just as important off the track as it was on it.
After retiring, Merritt faced a different kind of challenge, figuring out what came next without the structure of competition. Rather than stepping away from growth, he leaned into unfamiliar spaces.
Without the structure of daily training and competition, Merritt had to recreate a sense of purpose for himself. That transition required the same discipline he developed on the track, applying it to new challenges where success wasn’t as clearly defined.
“I know if you continue to be interested, you’ll be the interesting one,” Merritt said. “When I retired, I didn’t know what I was going to do…It was, what do I do when I get up?”
He began exploring business, investments and sales, building new skills the same way he approached training, by staying consistent and open to learning. That process eventually led him to public speaking and mentorship.
What began as a way to share his experiences gradually developed into a larger platform. Speaking engagements allowed him to connect with audiences beyond athletics, using his story to highlight lessons about growth, failure and resilience.
Alongside public speaking, Merritt also started training camps for athletes. The active camps are Merritt’s sprint clinic and his 400 master class. Here, he gives strategies for different difficulties, such as the 100-meter and 200-meter, but also encourages the mental skills needed to achieve life goals.
While the drills and techniques are rooted in track and field, the lessons extend far beyond it. Merritt uses these spaces to teach discipline, resilience and the importance of understanding why effort matters, even when results aren’t immediate.
“The camps turn into sprint to success master classes, and these are camps where I’ve been all around the world,” Merritt said. “I take kids from seventh through twelfth grade and I pour into them the why behind what they’re doing in the sport.”
The medals he won are now worn from allowing his mentees to wear and hold them to help inspire them to work hard to reach their dreams.
Photo of two of Merritt’s Olympic gold medals. To the left a medal from Beijing 2008 and to the right a medal from Rio 2016.
How the event came to be
That message of growth and resilience is what made Merritt’s visit especially appealing to campus organizers.
Over the course of a year, director of student activities Nathan Flintjer worked to bring Merritt to campus. He communicated with Merritt through a series of emails to finalize the details.
“In my position, I receive a lot of spam emails with different acts and such to bring to campus,” Flintjer said. “I usually delete them, but LaShawn’s stood out, and I liked the mindset and resilience angle…It seemed to be what we were looking for. So, I reached out.”
Flintjer did not organize the event alone. Associate vice president for student success, Sabrina Fennell, helped set up the event timing and programming, and senior associate athletics director, Suzie Yormick-DeNillo, helped coordinate student availability for student-athletes.
For Merritt, the opportunity to speak wasn’t just about reflecting on his accomplishments, but about sharing the lessons behind them, the discipline, the setbacks and the perspective he gained along the way. His story, shaped by both success and adversity, reflects the same message he delivered to students: growth comes from how you respond in the moments that aren’t easy.
“I’m glad to be here to be able to share my story and my journey with the student body, student athletes,” Merritt said. “I’m going to tell my story because my story embodies a lot of great character, some mistakes, how I handled some pressure, ups and downs, transitions, and ultimately knowing what really matters because sports is not life or death.”