Zane Rowland, Sports Correspondent.
Richmond Hill High School rising senior Mmekom Inyang has qualified for the Junior Olympics in track and field. Inyang competes with the Coastal Georgia Track AAU team.
“Making it to the Olympics means a lot to me,” Inyang said. “Growing up, my grandpa always used to tell me ‘I am going to watch you in the Olympics one day’, and this opportunity is making it come true.
“I am going to the Junior Olympics to compete with the best of the best and I just feel so blessed and honored to be able to do something like this.”
The Junior Olympics is a national track meet where participants must qualify within their region to proceed to the Junior Olympics. There are over 25 different regions within the US where one can qualify for the Junior Olympics.
In order to qualify for the July meet, Inyang had to place in the top-three in the regional qualifier, in which she finished first in the qualifier, with 4,103 total points.
Inyang competed on June 20-21 at Columbia High School in Lake City, Florida, as a Heptathlon participant in Region 9(2).
Inyang also competed in her freshman year at Veterans Stadium Willowbrook Park in New Britain, Connecticut, where she just narrowly missed qualifying for the Junior Olympics, finishing fourth.
This year, Inyang finished in first place in six of the seven events associated with the Heptathlon, with her last competition finishing in third.
“I hope to make a name for myself and prove that I can compete at a higher level,” Inyang said. “I want to prove to myself that my dreams can come true as long as I work hard, stay prayerful, and disciplined.”
In last year’s Junior Olympics, in which Inyang did not compete, there were 41 participants in her age group. Whether there are more or less does not matter, however, as only the top-8 will receive medals, as well as All-American status.
“Finishing in the top-8 and becoming an All-American has always been a dream of mine since middle school,” Inyang said. “Having that honor to my name would mean the world to me.”
The Junior Olympics will be held at North Carolina A& T University on July 27-August 3. Inyang will compete from July 27-28.