By Tara Lanahan
Four track and field athletes attended nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina Saturday afternoon.
The athletes are: junior Ryan Kim, competing in shot put; senior Jung Park, competing in the 110 meter hurdle; freshman Lizzie Walkes, running in the freshman 100-meter dash, and freshman Rebecca Grusky racing in the freshman mile.
Athletes left Friday and will be returning Sunday. This week, they have been concentrating on remaining calm and focusing to make last minute adjustments.
“I have been trying to fix the last part of my rotation when I release the shot ever since the beginning of this week,” Kim said.
After finishing fifth in the 55-meter hurdles at nationals in the winter, this is Park’s last chance to win.
“Since this is going to be my last and one of the most important races in my high school career, I am going to work on fully recovering from my past injuries and resting my body enough so that I will be in my best condition to run,” Park said.
Park believes that he still has something to prove.
“When I qualified for Emerging Elite Nationals last year indoor, I was disqualified from false starting,” Park said. “Since I miraculously got an All-American title, representing top 6 in the nation at Indoor National Championship this year, I am also hoping to get an All-American title outdoor as well.”
Despite high expectations, the athletes don’t take this chance for granted, recognizing the competition they will face.
“Nationals is not where I go to win but to get the feeling of a high level meet where most of the people I compete with are better than me,” Kim said.
“Going to this meet mean a lot to me,” said Park.
