Victoria and Gloria Guerrier ’27, identical twins on the Yale track and field team, only found their real love for running after joining the Bulldogs last fall. 

“When I came to Yale, I wasn’t sure if track was my thing,” Gloria told the News while Victoria nodded in agreement. “Track became something I loved.” 

Track and field was just an afterthought when the twins joined their high school’s team in ninth grade — their older sister encouraged them to give it a shot. The two figured that it would also be beneficial off-season training for their other “more important” sports: basketball, volleyball and lacrosse.

Due to the pandemic, their first season was cut short, and when Victoria and Gloria returned, the women’s team shrank to just the two of them. 

They trained primarily with the men’s team, but the inexperienced high school coaching staff and lack of team camaraderie made it difficult for twins to reach their potential and perform consistently.

Still, their talents were noticeable. Gloria won the 2022 New York State Championship in the 400-meter hurdles after only training with hurdles since the start of that season. Victoria secured impressive personal records in the 800-meter dash. 

“They were offering pizza for anyone that ran under 2:20 [in the 800-meter dash],” Victoria said. “I went from running 2:30 to 2:16 that day and broke the meet record.”

Jude Massillon, managing director of the Sports Performance Group who trained 214 all-American athletes, scouted the Guerrier twins during their junior year. 

He recruited them to represent Haiti in the 2023 CARIFTA Games, an annual track and field competition for junior athletes from Caribbean countries.

“Their senior year [achievements] gave people an opportunity to see they were successful academically and athletically,” Massillon told the News. “Before that, they weren’t really seen.”

The twins then spent the spring and summer of 2023 training to compete at a professional level while simultaneously juggling homework and their high school training. 

Massillon reiterated their determinism. 

“They are as fearless on the track as they are in the classroom,” he said.

Their work paid off. Victoria became Haiti’s first female to win a global medal in the CARIFTA Games. 

The thrill of competition, both against each other and other runners kept Victoria and Gloria motivated, yet they struggled with self-doubt, they said. 

“In my mind, I don’t know how to hurdle, so I imagine that I’m [Sydney McLaughlin] on the start line,” Gloria said. “My motto is fake it till you make it.’”

Running in college had not been on the twins’ agenda before senior year. Neither Victoria nor Gloria expected any responses when they began reaching out to coaches, but they were offered official visits from a multitude of academically rigorous Division III schools, as well as Harvard and Yale.

Ultimately, the twins chose Yale, as they prioritized academics over athletics, they said. 

“I wanted to give myself the chance to get into a good college so that I could change the direction of my life,” Gloria said.

Yale’s athletics offered Victoria and Gloria a new approach to specified training and a positive team atmosphere. This allowed them to set personal and school records in just their first year — a rare occurrence for incoming D1 athletes.

During last year’s Ivy Championships, Gloria had to compete with a torn LCL but still was able to place sixth. “I was fighting through the pain,” she said.

After the collegiate season and a summer of training with the French U20 team, the twins returned to the 2024 U20 championships at the CARIFTA Games this past summer. Victoria placed second in the 800-meter dash and Gloria, while recovering from her injury, placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles.

“They are one of a kind in their consistent approach to greatness because everything they do is geared toward excellence,” Massillon said. “I expect nothing short of [an] L.A. 2028 visit from them.”

Their success extends beyond their own satisfaction. Gloria told the News that “the Haitian [reputation] right now is not good,” and by showing excellence through sport she hopes to uplift the country. 

Their goals for the upcoming season focus on winning the Ivy League Championships and continuing to improve Haiti’s reputation internationally.

Victoria and Gloria will begin the 2024-2025 season at the indoor track and field season opener in early December 2024.