ATLANTA — Marquise Goodwin is known as a receiver in the NFL who plays for the 49ers, but he also has other talents.
Goodwin is one of the only pro football players who has also competed in the Olympics. He's training for Tokyo, but not too long ago, he was close to giving up on his Olympic dreams. In 2016, Goodwin came up short.
“I led the world the whole year until the trials,” Goodwin said. “I was in Birmingham, UK. Broke the meet record, had the meet won already, beat the 2012 Olympic champion in long jump that day. It was a big moment. On the last jump, I blew it. Blew my hamstring.”
A blown hamstring four weeks before the 2016 Olympic Trials ultimately kept him off Team USA for the Rio Games, after he won the long jump at the 2012 Olympic trials and placed 10th in London.
Four years later, Goodwin is back, training and looking to compete for a spot on Team USA once again, but his journey back to the track wasn’t always certain.
This year, he was thinking about quitting track until he overheard a prayer one morning from his sister, who has cerebral palsy and has never walked a day in her life.
“I heard her praying to God, begging God just to be able to walk, to be able to run,” Goodwin said. “Who am I to be put my God-given ability to the side when my sister never a day in her life touched her feet to the ground? Who am I just to give up on track? This is something I’ve dreamed about since I was 9 years old, being an Olympic champion.”
That moment sparked a whole different fire inside of Goodwin.
“That fire is to just give it my all every time I get out here,” Goodwin said. “I know I’m a dog. I’m a beast especially when it comes to long jump. I went and played football so I can support my family like I wanted to. Track has been my real dream, to be an Olympic champion and God gave me another opportunity.”