‘I got to run,’ Sylvan Hills student athlete breaks track record, hopes to compete in Olympics one day
SHERWOOD, Ark. – With the Summer Olympic Games coming up, one central Arkansas high school student is already making a name for himself on the track in hopes of competing in the Olympics himself.
Sylvan Hills High School junior track athlete Josiah Rainey said he started running at 10 years old.
“(It’s been) a lot of hard work and dedication and it just paid off,” Rainey said.
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High School Track and Field Coach Richard Hamilton said there’s something special about the 17-year-old when he runs.
“He has a different kind of speed,” Hamilton said. “it’s really hard to describe.”
Recently, Rainey competed at the Meet of Champions where he said he wanted to beat the current record in the 100-meter which was 10.50 seconds. After a lot of hard work, Rainey said he was able to do so when he ran in the 100-meter competition and got a time of 10.46 seconds.
The win also made Rainey the current fastest high school man in Arkansas.
“Josiah is the Meet of Champions record holder and the 5A state conference record holder,” Hamilton said.
“I work hard, I prayed a lot for this and everything started to happen and it just fell in motion,” Rainey said.
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With the summer Olympic Games on the horizon, Rainey has his eyes on one specific track star.
“Noah Lyles, I’m trying to see you break the record, love everything you do and attitude and the hard work he puts into the sport,” Rainey said.
Rainey said since he was young he has always competed and qualified in the junior Olympics. He said he only wants to go faster so he can one day compete in the Summer Olympics.
“It would mean a whole lot, it would mean the world,” Rainey said.
Rainey’s dad and Hamilton agree they have no doubt he will make it if he continues to work hard.
“Josiah is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete to coach,” Hamilton said.
Rainey said when he is running, he thinks of one thing.
“I got to go, I got to run,” he said.
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Rainey already has multiple collegiate offers not just for track but also for football where he is positioned as a running back. He said he has not yet committed to anywhere but plans to continue to work hard in sports.
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