DeKalb athletes qualify for Junior Olympics
A group of elementary school runners from DeKalb County qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics, which run through Aug. 6 in Des Moines, Iowa.
The group consists of Taylor Freeman qualifying for the 100-meter dash; Reaghan Hancock qualifying for the 200-meter dash and the long jump; Christian Flynn qualifying for the 1500-meter run; and Chrisette Henderson qualifying for the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Additionally, the four qualified as a team to run the 4×100-meter relay.
“These young ladies are excited about trying to go to the Junior Olympics,” said Christy Flynn, Christian’s mother. “They’re all 8 years old but are competing with the 9- and 10-year-old runners due to their birthdays, and they’re doing very well.”
The group made the Junior Olympics after qualifying through local and regional races. The group—which runs for the Mark Trail Eagles Track Club and practices at Columbia High School—placed at the top of the list at the DeKalb County Parks and Recreations’ district event and the AAU regional event held in Grovetown, Georgia, to qualify for the Junior Olympics.
They will run qualifying matches in Iowa to determine if they make the Junior Olympics finals, scheduled for Aug. 5 – 6. The Junior Olympics are the highest level that runners not yet in middle school can aspire to, according to Christie Flynn. She added that the Junior Olympics are a great steppingstone for the athletes who want to run in college, professionally, and for Team USA.
“It’s great exposure, exposure to collegiate level and professional level running. They’ll also get medals if they win. That’s like a resume item, it goes down in history for them,” said Christy Flynn. “This is a full week and it’s a full experience. They have the opening ceremony with all the flags and all the events, like your normal Olympics.”
Christy Flynn said the athletes’ families must pay for all expenses associated with the trip. Those interested in donating to the team may visit https://gofund.me/c25e1f30.
