Decathlete Harrison Williams makes a special request to Delta Air Lines after qualifying for Paris Olympics at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials

Harrison Williams qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 on Day 2 of the U.S. Olympics Track and Field Trials. Following the win, he made a special request to Delta Airlines for himself and his two contenders, Heath Baldwin and Zach Ziemek.

The 28-year-old will make his Olympic debut in Paris after facing several trials and tribulations in his journey. He missed the 2020 US Olympic Team, citing an injury during the pole vault at the 2020 Trials.

Williams competed in the decathlon 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, discus throw, and pole vault matches at the Trials. He ended up in the third position, earning a score of 8384 to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Health Baldwin stood atop the podium with 8625 decathlon points, and Zach Ziemek claimed second place with 8516 points.

After the win, he shared a picture with his contenders Baldwin and Ziemek with their medals on, and made a special request to Delta airlines for each one of them on X. He wrote:

"Hello @Delta the three of us just made the US olympic team in the decathlon. Can we please get 3 business class tickets to Europe for the games? We're all 6'5 and need those spacious lay-flat seats so we're ready to compete."

Harrison Williams opens up about his tough times

Harrison Williams has always wanted to make the Olympic team, however, he couldn't qualify in his first attempt at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics trials. He ruptured his plantar fascia while competing in the pole vault at the trials. The decathlete spoke about almost making it to the Olympic team in 2020. (According to Team USA).

"I've always wanted to make the Olympic team since I was about 13 or 14-years-old, so coming close was tough, but it showed me that I have the potential to get there. I've definitely used it as motivation this year, not going to let it happen again," said Harrison Williams.

Williams recently suffered from a twisted ankle he sustained while competing in the 60m event at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March 2024. He opened up about the grappling times and said:

"This year has been pretty tough for me. I've had a lot of injuries throughout training. You always think an Olympic year is going to be perfect, it's kind of been the opposite for me with injury after injury."

He added,

"I finally started feeling good about five weeks ago and have gotten in some productive weeks of training. I'm feeling ready to score something big."

Harrison Williams also underwent a complex left hip surgery in 2022, however, the 28-year-old, made a notable comeback in 2023.