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Sadie Hamon poses with her medal for winning the 2000m race.
Valley Academy student Sadie Hamon has made her school and community proud by winning the 2000m race at the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 9th. The Sadie emerged victorious among 231 of the fastest 8-year-old girls in the country, hedging out a win by 0.3 seconds.
USATF develops, selects, and leads Team USATF, which is the world's top team, to participate in the Olympics, World Championships, and many other international events each year. USATF also works towards establishing grassroots programs, such as the Junior Olympics, to help develop the future stars of the sport.
According to Sadie's mother, Darci Glass, Sadie started out strong and led the race from the start. Despite going out really fast, Sadie had enough left in her tank to hold off another girl to the finish line and win the race by only 0.3 seconds. She completed the 2000m race in a remarkable time of 7:32.4, which is equivalent to running at a pace of 6 minutes per mile.
“I was kind of in awe of my own daughter! She ran a fantastic race, said Darci. “She went out super fast and had the lead from the start. She was able to maintain her pace, and then in the last 400m, she had a competitor who kept trying to pass her, but Sadie fought so hard and just wouldn't let her go by! It was so exciting to watch, and I was just so impressed by her strength and determination!”
Before the race, Sadie could visualize how great it would be to win. After the race, she said, "I knew I had to start fast because it was such a big race; once I had the lead, I wasn't going to let someone else take it."
Sadie's achievement is no small feat, given that she is only eight years old. Her exceptional performance at such a young age has impressed everyone in her community, and she will no doubt be hailed as a rising star in the world of youth track and field.
The news of Sadie's victory has brought joy to the Wenatchee School District and her close-knit school community at Valley. Everyone is proud of her national title. Sadie's win is a testament to her hard work, determination, and talent, and we can expect to see more great things from her in the future.