How three sisters made it from a Brooklyn homeless shelter to the Junior Olympics
Meet Tai Sheppard, 11, Rainn Sheppard, 10, and Brooke Sheppard, 8. They're running superstars.
They also live in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, New York, with their mother, Tonia Handy.
But their living situation hasn't stopped them from dominating the competition on the track.
A year and a half ago, a babysitter signed the girls up for a track meet as a no-cost way to keep them busy.
That day, coaches from Brooklyn's Jeuness Track Club were at the meet looking for new talent. Each sister got an invitation to join the team — and the scouts had no idea that they were sisters.
The elite team aims to send its athletes to college on athletic scholarships.
The sisters quickly rose to the top of the pack, qualifying for the Junior Olympics in multiple events.
Tai, the oldest, qualified for the 400-meter run, the 800-meter run, and the 80-meter hurdles.
Rainn was the top qualifier for the 3,000-meter run.
And Brooke qualified for the 800 meter, the 1,500 meter, and the high jump.
At this very moment, the Sheppard sisters are in Houston, Texas, competing against the top junior runners in the country.
Rainn has already won her first event, the 3,000.
Unfortunately, their mother isn't there with them. She's unable to take time off work, and the shelter they live in has a strict curfew for its residents.
But she's currently seeking a new job that will allow her to watch her budding athletes in action.
Until then, Tai, Rainn, and Brooke will keep training hard. "This is a means to get them to college," Handy told the Associated Press. "To opening doors that maybe I can't open for them."
Want to support athletes like the Sheppards? Their personal GoFundMe page has closed, but you can donate to their team, the Jeuness Track Club, right here.
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