A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Shannon Rowbury (1984–) attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School, where she was twice California state champion (800m and 1600m) and a national champion (800m). She attended Duke University, where she won an NCAA title in the mile in 2007 and was a six-time NCAA All-American.
At the 2008 USA Track & Field (USATF) Olympic Trials, she finished first in the 1500m, qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. At the Olympics, she was the only American in the 1500m final, finishing seventh (then the best finish ever by an American woman at the Olympics in that event).
She would only get better. She joined The Olympic Club in 2009 during one of her best stretches of competition, winning the USATF 1500m Outdoor title, the USTAF Road Mile title, and capturing the bronze medal at the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Championships in the 1500m.
At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Rowbury reached the 1500m final and finished in fourth place, again the best place ever for an American woman. She initially finished sixth, but disqualifications for doping moved her forward, leading to her vocal support for clean competition. She was one of the recipients of the 2012 Olympian Award for Athletic Achievement.
In the run up to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Rowbury smashed records, setting the American record in the 1500m (2015) and the 5000m (2016) and a world record in the Distance Medley Relay (2015). She won the USATF Indoor titles in the one mile and two miles and the bronze at the world championships in the 3000m. She qualified for the Olympics and finished fourth in the 1500m.
She was aiming for a fourth Olympic team in 2020, but injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic derailed that plan. She is the co-founder and president of a nonprofit, a brand spokesperson and engaged in corporate strategy.
