Pacific H.S track and field: Temperature rises, records fall in Kanto finals
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — As Saturday’s warm, sunny weather broke the recent spate of cool temperatures and rain, several high school athletes participating in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools track and field championship took advantage of the perfect weather to do a little breaking of their own — smashing a handful of league records by mid-morning.
"I felt really good about the race," said senior Donavan Brown from Nile C. Kinnick High School, who bested the boys’ 400-meter hurdle record with a time of 56.5 seconds. "My goal this year was to beat the league record."
In the girls’ 310-meter hurdles, American School In Japan senior Gwen Thornton stayed true to form, beating her own record set in 2007 by a second and a half with a mark of 46.3 seconds.
"It’s my senior year, so it’s good to finally break it," she said. "I was really nervous before running, but got into the mind-set to give it all I’ve got since this is my senior year."
She didn’t start out the day with the goal of beating the 310 record. She said that her actual goal was to break the 400-meter record, which she also currently held.
Later that day, she not only did that, winning the race, but also claimed first place in the 100-meter hurdles missing another record by .5 seconds.
"I’m so happy. I’ve been trying to break it (the 400-meter record) since sophomore year," she said, explaining that trying to beat her own record was "more mental than anything."
Thornton also anchored the final leg of the 1,600 relay, which sealed the ASIJ girls’ victory over Christian Academy In Japan 125-84. The ASIJ and CAJ boys also claimed the first and second place spots with scores of 137 and 102, respectively.
Two DODDS-Japan schools finished third, with the Zama American girls earning 80 points and the Kinnick boys garnering 84 points.
Yokota freshman Kelsey Scott took first place in the girls’ 100- and 200-meter finals, but there was another first for her that day: the first time wearing track spikes.
"They’ve been trying to get me to wear spikes all season," she said, explaining that she borrowed a teammate’s pair during Saturday’s meet.
"Rounding the corners felt really tight, but I felt like I was going to fall down in the straightaway," she laughed.
The spikes appeared to do the trick as the young runner shaved three seconds off her personal best in the 200-meter.
In next week’s Kanto Plain Invitational at Tokyo’s Oi Pier Ground near Haneda Airport, Scott said she’ll be facing another first as she tries to use starting blocks for the first time in competition.
Zama senior All-American distance runner Andrew Quallio dominated the morning’s 3,000-meter race before facing off against friendly rival Sam Krauth from ASIJ in the afternoon’s 1,500.
"We’re pretty good friends," Quallio said. "I’m good at the 3,000, and he’s good at the 800, and at the 1,500 we always battle."
Quallio came out on top this time, with Krauth taking second. However, Quallio said, the heat was definitely a factor for the distance runners.
"I think everyone was suffering out there," he said, adding that he looks forward to running again next weekend against his friend as well as squaring off against the best that Korea and Okinawa have to offer.
