La-Starr Sneed is a single mother of three children, who has never let obstacles get in her way. In addition to three jobs and the demands of single parenting, she trains for the Olympics 6 days a week, 4x a day, including speed skating on ice and short track, making her one of only three Black women in the world who speed skate on short track. She is also currently the only Black woman in the USA who track cycles at the Olympic level, and she is training for the summer games.
La-Starr is also a domestic abuse survivor. Of her experiences, she says: “I was not stopped in my divorce after my marriage of 6 years ended, I was not stopped in my back to back abusive relationships. I was not stopped by homelessness living in my car for 2 years, I was not stopped by what the world thought I should do. I was not stopped by my weight gain of 178 pounds when my last child was born. I was not stopped by being a single mother of 3, and I was not stopped of having children, because I didn’t have a babysitter, I kept moving forward. That’s the key. No matter the obstacles, get through it.”
Athletic Achievements:
- One of only three Black women in the world who speed skate on short track at the Olympic level
- The only Black woman in the USA who track cycles at the Olympic level
- Among the top 3 finishers in the road mile USA championships