WATCH LIVE: AAU JUNIOR OLYMPICS
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Michaela Rose, 16, is one of the top girls athletes entering the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Greensboro, North Carolina. However, very few athletes -- not just in Virginia but across the country -- have her combination of strength and speed. Rose, a high school sophomore heading toward her junior season, owns not only an elite-level mark in the 800m of 2:07.61, but her future could very well funnel over to the 400mH, where she's put down a best of 58.86. She will compete in both events over the course of the Games. She also owns personal bests of 55.20 in the 400m, 5:11.65 in the 1,600m and 44.07 in the 300mH. Indoors, she ran a US No. 6 mark of 1:31.26 in the 600m, a US No. 6 time of 1:14.45 in the 500m and a US No. 10 effort of 2:53.17 in the 1K.
Rose runs for Faith in Action Ministries Athletics and Recreation, which is based in the track and field-rich region of Suffolk -- located just a few miles away from Western Branch High School and Nansemond River. Rose is a home school athlete who does not run for a high school yet, but she's no doubt one of the country's most talented mid-distance and long hurdle talents. She could be the breakout girls talent of the 2019 AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Who: Michaela Rose
Age Group: 15-16
Events: 800m, 400mH
Where: AAU Junior Olympics, Greensboro, North Carolina
When: July 26-August 3
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WATCH LIVE: AAU JUNIOR OLYMPICS
* Michaela Rose finished second to Athing Mu in the 600m at The VA Showcase this indoor season
Breakdown: Rose is the top seed in both the 400mH and 800m and there's a good chance she could go after records in both events. She's ranked five seconds faster in the 800m and two seconds in the 400mH, which means these races could be Rose's to dictate from the gun. She won her first New Balance Nationals Outdoor title this June in the 800m, going 2:04.38, and also won the Emerging Elite section of the 400m, clocking a 55.20.
A few weeks later, she cruised in her AAU Region 5 races, winning both the 400mH and 800m. While Trenton Track Club's Athing Mu is off racing at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, there's a strong possibility that Rose takes up her mantle as the Games' next emerging star. She finished her sophomore season in high school with the nation's No. 2 mark in the 800m and the No. 7 best mark in the 400mH.
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