Merced County track star heads to Valley championships after breaking 41-year-old record
Emily Gallegos has always been one of the fastest girls in her class. So joining the track team at school seemed like a good fit.
Turns out, she loves the sport.
Gallegos showcased her speed recently at the Jim North Memorial Merced County Junior Olympics. The Mitchell Senior Elementary of Atwater eighth-grader won two events, finishing first in the 200- and 400-meter sprints and breaking a 41-year-old record in the process.
Gallegos crossed the finish line in 26.41 seconds, which broke the Division I Junior Record, which was set in 1983.
“I was in shock when I broke the record,” Gallegos said. “That’s been a goal of mine since sixth grade.”
Gallegos won the 400-meter event with a time of 1 minute, 1.23 seconds.
The event featured some future high school track stars.
Gallegos was one of three athletes to break records at the Merced County event, which was held at Merced College on April 19-20.
McSwain Elementary eighth-grader Hudson Pimentel broke the record in the Division 2 Intermediate Boys 200-meter race with a time of 25.5 seconds. Pimentel broke the record that was set in 2019.
Stone Ridge Christian seventh-grader Lia Garcia who broke the Division 2 Junior girls long jump record with a leap of 16 feet, 5 inches. That record stood since 2006.
The three will lead a large group of Merced County athletes who qualified by finishing in the top three of each event from the Junior Olympics to the Valley Youth Championships at Buchanan High’s Veteran Stadium in Fresno on Saturday.
The Valley Youth Championships is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m.
The Merced County athletes will be competing against athletes from Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kings counties.
Gallegos has competed on big stages before. The 14-year-old has competed at the Junior National Olympics, where she’s earned all-American status.
Gallegos is currently ranked in the top 10 nationally in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter events.
Gallegos says she loves to compete at the big events.
“I get pretty nervous and it gives me a lot of anxiety, but at the end I’m really happy,” she said.
Gallegos says he favorite event is the 400, even though it’s the toughest event because the competitors are running a full sprint for an entire lap.
“It’s a tough event, but I like going all out,” Gallegos said.
Gallegos, who will attend Buhach Colony High School next year, hopes to make it back to the Junior National Olympics this summer, which will be held at Texas A&M University. Gallegos will be running with the Central Valley Roadrunners track team out of Modesto.
She started running track in third grade and also plays soccer.
Gallegos hopes to continue running in high school and eventually in college.
“I want to keep doing track,” Gallegos said. “My goal is to go to UCLA.”
