Still on track: Sable Otey continues to strive for greatness

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (WMC) -More than eight years after Sable Otey tried qualifying for the 2018 Winter Olympics in bobsled, the Memphis native continues training and inspiring others.

Growing up in Binghampton as the daughter of a teen mom, Otey worked herself into position to make the 2012 Summer Olympics as a hurdler until fate intervened.

“You know, after seven years of marriage, I got pregnant. And I just kind of, I didn’t even watch Olympics that year,” Otey said.

With those Olympic dreams dashed, a new vision came to life. Her godbrother suggested bobsledding.

“I always tell people, you don’t go looking for bobsled, bobsled finds you,” Otey said.

When asked about her first impression of bobsledding, Otey said she thought it was wild and wondered who would do such a sport.

Despite her initial reaction, she excelled at the sport and tried out for Team USA at the 2018 Olympic trials in Lake Placid.

It was an experience she wasn’t sure she’d ever have again after having a child.

“No, because after becoming a mom, you don’t feel like that,” Otey said. “You feel like you have to be domestic, right? And then you see other women that have had children. I see, I remember this one lady, she did like a marathon, and she had a baby. I don’t know how many miles it was, but I was like, if this lady can do it, you’re the closest to death.”

Otey didn’t compete in the 2018 Olympics, but her journey reflects grit and overcoming obstacles.

While trying to make the Olympic team, both her husband and young son dealt with serious injuries.

“So, my husband got hit by an 18-wheeler,” Otey said. “Ran a red light, hit him. Neck, back and shoulder messed up. And then prior to that, somebody fell on my son and broke his thigh bone. He had a chest cast all the way down to the ankle on one leg, the knee on the other one. So it was tough. And I had to go and leave, after that and go train and keep living like a normal life, and my grandmother, she helped take care of my son.”

That support, combined with her own drive, shifted Otey’s goals toward business and public office. She currently represents District 5 on the Memphis-Shelby County School Board.

“I always told my kids that look up to me, all my students and stuff, my children: You think that you’re the exception because I got into a place that I never thought I’d be in my mind. I’m the exception, and I’m not going to quit, and if I don’t do well the first time, I’m going to do it again. And I’m going to keep going. I’m going to keep going. And I’m going to keep fighting. I’m going to keep pushing,” Otey said about her message to young people.

Otey continues striving for greatness, no matter the challenge in front of her.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.