Walmart deli employee strives for making Olympic track team

By Drew Weisholtz/TODAY When it comes to Olympic athletes, Dylan Beard is cold cut from a different cloth. Beard is a hurdler who will compete for a spot on the United States Olympic team heading to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He also happens to work a full-time job at the deli counter at a Walmart. Beard emerged as a surprise winner while competing in the 60-meter hurdles at the Millrose Games in February. “I think I went in a lot more relaxed, like nothing to lose, a lot to gain,” he told “TODAY” in an interview that aired April 26. His performance& in the race made him the third fastest hurdler in the world and landed him a spot at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, in June. Following his performance at the Millrose Games, Beard returned to his normal routine. “(I) flew home, and the next day I was back to weight training, back to practicing, then back to work,” he said. Beard is an unsponsored athlete, hoping to pay his way to Paris with his own ability and paycheck, while training at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. His coach,...