On Saturday afternoon, Olympian McKenzie Long made a return visit home and got to walk the halls of the Ironton High School for the first time in five years to visit with family, friends, fans and to get accolades from both the state and the city in praise of her journey that lead to competing with the world’s best athletes in the 200-meter dash in the Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Long’s winning track streak started at Ironton Middle School. She moved to Pickerington High School Central for her final years before heading to North Carolina State University. In her junior year, she had hip surgery. She transferred to Old Miss where she won three national championships, in women’s 100 and 200-meter dash and as part of the 4×100-meter relay team, in under two hours for the Rebels at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Long also earned two bachelor’s degrees from NC State and a master’s degree at Ole Miss. After that, she headed to Paris to face the world’s fastest athletes in the 200-meter dash.
“My experience in Paris was pretty stressful given that I was going there for business, not to have fun,” she said, adding she had to adjust to the food and the culture. “Outside of that, it was a great experience I had. Everybody starts somewhere and it was my first Olympics. I will definitely be prepared for my next one.”
Ironton Schools Superintendent James Payne said it was a collaborative effort to get Long to visit and find a place for her to speak.
“It just worked out right, she was coming through the area,” he said. “We are just tickled to death we were able to get her to come. She is very loyal to Ironton, she feels like this is her home. We are so very proud of her.”
There was a proclamation from Jason Stephens and then a first for Mayor Sam Cramblit II when he presented her with a key to the city and a proclamation marking July 11 as a citywide holiday called “McKenzie Long Day.”
“(She) brought an entire community together to celebrate her accomplishments on the world stage, making us all proud to call her our very own hometown hero,” the mayor said.
Long was also the first person Cramblit has presented a key to the City of Ironton.
Her father, Michael, spoke of Long’s epic journey and how incredible the support of the community has been and how they were happy to share the day with the community.
“Watching McKenzie compete in the Olympics has been a dream come true,” he said. “And it would have never been possible without the encouragement, love and support we have received from each and every one of you.”
After the introduction by her dad, McKenzie took the stage and said that standing before the gathered crowd in the IHS auditorium as an Olympian was a dream come true.
“But this achievement isn’t mine alone, it belongs to each and every one of you,” she said, adding that she has always felt the support of the community from when she ran track in middle school to believing in her when she had doubts about herself. She also thanked her coaches and team mates for all their support. “This moment is also about our town, the place that shaped me. It is here that I learned the value of hard work, perseverance and community. Every time I trained, every time I competed, I carried the pride of this hometown in my heart.”
After the presentations, Long spent hours signing autographs for three hours.
Long is now headed south to train to be a professional runner.
She said the main goal is to get a contract with a sponsor and in her case, she is signed to the shoe company, Adidas.
“They signed me for five years,” Long said. She will head overseas to compete in Diamond Leagues and Prefontaine Classics. There are some competitions in the U.S. but most are in Europe.
“That’s where all the love for track and field, in Europe,” she explained, adding she will be facing the same athletes she faced in the Olympics. “It is really fun to race them again. It will benefit me in the long run.”