JUNE’S STOCKHOLM DL 800 was more than just a Diamond League debut for Roisin Willis. It was also a snapshot of where her event is at now and the path before her to contend for future medals.
Far ahead of the field, Audrey Werro stunned Paris gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson, running the first sub-1:54 in 43 years. Meanwhile, after struggling all race for running room, Willis swung almost comically wide off the final turn, into lane 4, and overhauled a large chase pack for 3rd in a PR 1:57.56.
“I got very boxed in and found it quite tricky to find my way out,” she explained, having started in a shared lane 1. “I think I was nearly last with 150 to go and I was just like, ‘Well, we’ve gotta work with what we have.’
“So I just swung as wide as I could, to try and see who I could get, and I think I had a little bit too much left,” she added. “The race was great, but I also see the board and there’s a big difference between even 2nd and 3rd.”
There was a 1:56, at least, in Willis that day, but right now, it’s not so much about the results, but training and growing under Coach Mark Coogan, building on recent success, and working to prepare for ’27 and ’28.
Willis knows what it’s like to be a World Champ; even what it’s like to beat Werro. She did both at the World U20s in Colombia in ’22, where she and Stanford teammate Juliette Whittaker won gold and bronze with Werro claiming silver.
But Junior success doesn’t guarantee immediate Senior success, at least not when you’re pairing NCAA competition with a Stanford education. Willis’s was filled with some twists and turns, and some mental health challenges, especially early on.
Willis won her NCAA Championship debut 800 in ’23. But after finishing 4th at the outdoor champs, she wrote a lengthy Instagram post sharing struggles with insomnia, debilitating prerace anxiety and gnawing emptiness, even after successful races. Over time, acknowledging her issues with depression, then welcoming support from family, teammates and loved ones gave her hope.
The ’24 season had its ups and downs, but the work Willis did to heal and grow, while holding the sport in an increasingly healthier place, manifested tremendous success in ’25. That included her terrific NCAA title run, with a 1:58.13 that made her the No. 3 collegian ever (now No. 5). As follow-up, Willis pulled off a resourceful, upset triumph at USATF and made the Tokyo team.
“I’m very grateful that I went through that, because I think it made me tougher,” she says now. “I think a lot of young athletes go through similar things and don’t often know how to express themselves.
“And I feel like 2025 was such a big year because I feel like I was able to prove that I was able to come back from that a lot stronger.”
Last December, Willis decided to turn pro with New Balance, with whom she’d had an NIL deal. She soon embraced moving to Boston and training under Coogan.
“I feel like from my first conversations with Mark, his values and perspectives on things were just where my head was at,” she says. “Obviously he cares about times and stuff in the sport, but his primary focus was our well-being, and I feel like he’s just a great fit for me. Sometimes I can overthink and get really intense, but he’s a good coach just to help me relax and just let things flow. I feel like it’s gone really, really well.”
To say ’26 has gone well on the track would be an understatement, her slate also including an indoor AR 1:57.97 in Boston.
“I think the 800 is like, this massive puzzle you’re always trying to put together,” she says. “Coming into this year, a big goal of mine was to work on my weaknesses. I think in terms of endurance, that’s an untapped area of my training over the past couple years.”
“Mark’s someone I really trust in that regard just because he’s had so much success. He also sees me for the athlete that I am, and he knows that he can’t just shove world-class 1500-meter training onto me because that would be a little much. So we’re slowly working on things, and I’ve seen a lot of improvement in that area.”
Competitively, Willis’s focus right now is simple: The USATF Champs.
“I just want to go out there and have a really good, solid run. Even though there’s no team to make, I’m excited just to have a chance to run in a championship and… I guess it’s my title to defend!”
“I would like to be able to compete with the best women in the world, running those times. But I’m at 1:57.5 right now, so I think I just need to put my head down and work a little bit, then throw myself into those races and see where I end up. If I’m wearing the U.S. kit, I really want to represent well. So I just want to stay focused and mind my business until I’m in the conversation. Other women are having their moment right now, so I want to respect that.”
Meanwhile, Willis is a proud, new Stanford grad (History, minor in Film) and living her faith. “My priorities are just to follow God and do my best to treat others well and kind of have a humbleness to me. I think it’s easy to make track the biggest thing in the world, and I’ve definitely made it a lot bigger than it needs to be [in the past] and had a lot of fear with it. I think my faith has been a way to kind of realign my intentions with everything and be able to step onto the track and be more bold in what I do, but not make it who I am.”
