The Olympic Games in Rio garnered a lot of attention this summer and with good reason. Athletes of the highest caliber were on the world stage exhibiting talents, skills and abilities that have helped them reach the pinnacle of their careers. Locally, about 40 young athletes traveled to Houston, Texas, in late summer to compete in another type of Olympics, the AAU Junior Olympics Track and Field Event in hopes of bringing home some gold of their own.
Tri-City Striders, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping young people, spent July 25-August 7 in Houston competing among 15,000 athletes in track and field events. The road to the Junior Olympics started with winners in Association/District Meets moving to the National Qualifying event. Athletes with the area track and field club ranged in age from 6-18 years old and were in pursuit of becoming the Top 8 in their respective age groups which allows them to be designated as All Americans.
Jonathon Myrthil, 15, and a student at Northside High School in Columbus won a gold medal in both the 800meter and 1500 meter races. Competing in the 15-16 age group for males, Myrthil posted times of 1:53 in the 800m and 4:04 in the 1500m. This is Myrthil’s first year with the Tri-City Striders and was his first time competing at this level.
“Jonathon came to us this year. He has really improved. He was 35 seconds slower when he first came to us,” says Tri-City Striders Coach Spivey Green.
Other medal winners associated with the track and field club were Keldrick Lee, 4th place in race walk (12 year old); Deja Delaine, 5th place in race-walk (15-16 year old) and Jazlyn Gosha, 8th place in turbo javelin (7-8 year old). Karon Delince, a multi-sport athlete at Central High School, place 5th in the 100 meter race and 6th in the 200 meter race for the 17-19 year old age group.
“Having this kind of talent in the bi-cities speaks volumes, especially when their ranking is out of 500-700 athletes in each category,” says Green, who has been with the non-profit club for ten years.
Green says the club trains and competes year round and he is assisted by five other coaches on his staff. Tri-City Striders is affiliated with USATF (USA Track and Field), AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and TFCUSA (Track and Field Coalition of USA).
For more information, visit Tri-City Striders’ website at www.wedontneedwingstofly.com or contact Green at 706-905-8668 or spiveygreen@yahoo.com.
ITG Web Content
Tri-City Striders Athletes Attend Junior Olympics
By Beth Welch
Photos by Spivey Green
