When Carlette Guidry-Falkquay was in middle school, she read the inspirational story of Wilma Rudolph, an Olympic track and field champion who overcame the struggles of polio and paralysis in her legs to become one of the most decorated athletes in the sport.

Guidry-Falkquay never imagined that she, too, would make it to the Olympics. 

Now, more than 30 years after one of the most accomplished careers for a Texas track-and-field athlete, Guidry-Falkquay will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2023. 

A young girl who grew up in Houston, Guidry-Falkquay started running track when she was in middle school, where she met her coach Carol Middleton.

“She was the one who opened my mind to a broader world than what was around me,” Guidry-Falkquay said. “She helped me transition into adulthood and to a better environment than what I was in.”

Though she was initially unsure if track and field was right for her, Guidry-Falkquay was inspired by her family’s history of running track. Her uncle motivated her to continue pursuing a career in track and field. 

“I used to always want to do everything he did, and I followed him around everywhere,” Guidry-Falkquay said. “I was pretty much a tomboy.”

After an impressive middle and high school career, Guidry-Falkquay attended the University of Texas, where she competed with the Longhorns from 1987-91.

Guidry-Falkquay got off to an impressive start with the Texas track and field team. As a freshman, the first of her 12 NCAA titles came in indoor track events when she placed first in the long jump and 55-meter race and finished second in the 200-meter race at the 1988 NCAA Indoor Track Championships.

Guidry-Falkquay’s remaining years with the Longhorns were met with even more national titles. In 1991, she won the national Honda Sports Award as the female track and field athlete of the year. 

The 23-time All-American was inducted into the Texas Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame in 2014, and more recently, into the USTFCCCA Collegiate Hall of Fame this year. 

When reflecting on her time with the Longhorns, Guidry-Falkquay emphasized that her collegiate career helped her compete at the professional level, where she won two gold medals at the Olympics. 

“I’m very grateful to Texas for allowing me to stay and use the same facilities. I was able to stay there and train on the track,” Guidry-Falkquay said. “I also had some other (resources) that I was able to use to take care of my body off the track.”

Guidry-Falkquay’s most memorable moment at the professional level came at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where she ran with decorated Olympian Evelyn Ashford in the 4×100 relay race. It was Ashford’s third and final Olympic games, and Guidry-Falkquay helped the relay team secure the gold medal. 

The former Longhorn won another gold medal in the same race four years later at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. 

Guidry-Falkquay cited her family members and coaches as her biggest support system as she advanced from the college level to the Olympics. 

“You need to have a good support system around you to be able to understand those commitments that you’ve made for yourself and for your career,” Guidry-Falkquay said. 

Though her days of running are over, Guidry-Falkquay’s career in track and field is far from being over.The former Longhorn has turned to coaching and mentoring, hoping to open up an online track store for apparel and track camps for younger athletes. 

Guidry-Falkquay, along with former Longhorn and NFL player Priest Holmes, will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas, next April. 

“I’m very honored to be selected into the Hall of Fame,” Guidry-Falkquay said. “It says a lot about the University of Texas at Austin and the athletes that they develop.”