* Lucheyona Weaver finished off the last of three gold medal performances in the 200m at the AAU West Coast Junior Olympic Games
Photo Credit: Cory Mull/MileSplit
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WATCH RACE VIDEOS FROM AAU WEST COAST JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- A familiar argument was made, and reiterated, this past week.
It was the idea that, while there may be talented athletes in a variety of states across the country -- including sprint powerhouses like Texas and Virginia -- perhaps no other state compares to Florida when it comes to producing sprint talent.
And this weekend, one athlete from the Sunshine State certainly made her mark on that theory.
Few could argue the remarkable performances of Lucheyona Weaver, a rising senior at Fort Myers Dunbar (FL) High School and a member of the Olympia Track Club, who captured three wins in the 100m, 200m and 100mH at the AAU West Coast Junior Olympic Games over the weekend at the Pearson Community Center facility.
"Just run to the best of my abilities," said Weaver, who goes by the nickname 'Nia.' "I wanted to hit a 13. And I did. But there was nobody to push me, so I had to push for myself."
* Watch Lucheyona Weaver in the 100mH
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The elite-level hurdler once again shined in the high hurdles, posting two straight sub-14 second outings across the semifinals and finals, finishing with a winning effort of 13.87 on Sunday.
But just as impressive were here performances in the 100m and 200m, where she ran career best times of 12.10 and 24.29 seconds, respectively.
Consider that Weaver's first two performances, in the 100m and 100mH, came less than 30 minutes between one another. And that she accomplished her last feat during historic heats, producing her last win in the 200m on Sunday when the heat index was at its highest.
"It felt good for me to even have the extra push at the end, after I just got done running," Weaver said. "For me to have something left, it felt good."
In doing so, Weaver also overcame some pretty stifling competion, including the likes of Taehja Badal, who was second in the 100m (12.28), and Camille Peisner, who finished second in the 200m (24.49).
* MileSplit's Olivia Ekpone spoke with Weaver after her 100mH and 100m wins
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On a national level, Weaver already owned a US No. 2 mark in the 100mH prior to the weekend. She had run a career best effort of 13.63 at the Louie Bing Memorial Classic in February, before the season was throw for a tailspin with COVID-19.
But with her two efforts over the weekend, Weaver tied US No. 1 leader Markalah Hart, a Southern California signee, as the only other female athlete to have run five or more times under 14 seconds on the season.
Girls 17-18 Division 100mH Results
17-18 GIRLS 100 METER HURDLES FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT WIND H# 1 Lucheyona Weaver 12 Olympia Track Club 13.87 1 2 Lauren Heck 12 Hot Feet Track Club 15.52 1 3 Renea Taylor 12 Spokane Speed Academy 15.64 1 4 Abby Klipstein 12 Fort Worth Christian 16.02 1 5 Mikayla Hayman Lancaster High School (SS) 16.61 1 6 Lilly Armuth Idaho Dash Track Club 16.97 1 7 Sydney Lopes Valley Vipers Athletic Club 17.53 1
That in itself was another reminder that Weaver will be a recruit to watch out for in 2021.
Needless to say, though, Weaver wasn't the only talented athlete from Fort Myers Olympia Track Club to find success. Rising senior Leonard Mustari, currently ranked US No. 1, won the 110mH and long jump.
Other winners from the club included: Cyprian Reid (8yo, 800m boys), Joslyne De La Nuez (11yo 100m, 200m girls) and Aniya Cook (9yo, 200m).
Related Links:
- AAU West Coast Junior Olympic Games meet page
- Watch race videos and interviews from JOs
- Check out photos from JOs
