* An athlete clears the pole vault during the decathlon on the second day of the AAU Junior Olympic Games
Photo Credit: Bobby Reyes/MileSplit
* Recap written by Olivia Ekpone
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DES MOINES, Iowa -- It was another action-packed day inside Drake Stadium on Sunday as the multi-events and racewalk concluded at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
This weekend marked the start of the competition. Over 11,000 athletes from across the United States began competing for national titles and All-American finishes.
Below we compiled the best work from Day 2.
Related Links:
AAU Junior Olympic Games Day 1 Recap: Dinkins Perseveres, Racewalk & More
WATCH LIVE: The AAU Junior Olympic Games
The Scoop:
STORY OF THE DAY
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When Hannah Durrant was seven years old, she racewalked for the first time.
It's then, she said, where she fell in love with the event -- and the sport.
While she experienced injury over her first year in high school, that adverse moment made her appreciate the competition even more.
"It was really hard for me because I really just loved racewalking," Durrant said Sunday. "All of my doctors told me I wouldn't be able [to return to the sport] and I wouldn't be able to train. I'm like, 'I'm not going to take that as an answer. I'm going to come back hard.' So I did that and I was just happy. Once you're not doing the sport, you just figure out what you're missing."
Durrant made it count on Sunday. The Larkin Elgin (IL) High School graduate clocked a U.S. No. 3 time of 15:38.84, earning her first AAU Junior Olympic Games title. She was runner-up in 2022.
It wasn't even close.
Her performance puts her just behind her sister, Heather, who recently netted the 3K high school national record on July 26 at the USATF Junior Olympics.
Heather will compete this week at the Pan American U20 Championships in Puerto Rico.
* Hannah Durrant after winning the national title in the 3K racewalk Sunday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa
STAT OF THE DAY
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1
On the second day of competition, the very first national record of the AAU Junior Olympic Games fell.
After scoring 897 points in 2016, Ashton Allen's 9yo triathlon record was replaced by Andre Truesdale best of 923 points on Sunday. Truesdale is from Maryland.
MVP OF THE DAY
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Photo Credit: David Nguyen/MileSplit
Yierra Flemings (Cameron Yoe, Texas)
In the 17-18-year-old heptathlon, Flemings won by over 700 points and accumulated a total score of 5,088 points, which is a U.S. No. 7 performance. In the final event, Flemings ran a 2:19 in the 800m to solidify the victory.
RACE OF THE DAY
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It was a wild finish in the final race of the 15-16-year-old decathlon as Collin Wise and Trevor Gibson fought all the way through the line in the 1,500m. It was Wise who crossed the finish line first with a 4:35.64 to Gibson's 4:35.75.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
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"I busted through my seed time exponentially."
Josh Fink
Fink, a 13-year-old athlete from Aledo, Texas, claimed the national title in the 3,000m race walk with a 15:31.93. After a strong effort, he improved on his seed time of 18:16.56.
INTERVIEW OF THE DAY
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Blair Haverkamp, of Flower Mound, Texas, described her win in the 15-16yo heptathlon on Sunday. She scored 4,444 points, netting a top time of 25.91 seconds in the 200m. It was her top performance as she scored a total of 805 points.
PHOTOS OF THE DAY
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Alvin Moore, an athlete from Florida, competes in the decathlon at the AAU Junior Olympic Games on Sunday
* A young athlete prepares himself mentally for the discus during the pentathlon
* A heptathlete readies for the javelin on Sunday
* A heptathlete from Milwaukee Speed Academy lines up for an attempt on the runway during the javelin
Photo Credit: David Nguyen/MileSplit