Where Are Future Olympians? Watch The AAU Junior Olympics

* Brandon Miller finished his AAU career with 13 gold medals and is now headed to Paris to win an Olympic medal in the 800m. 

Photo Credit: Lindsey Andrews/MileSplit

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by Campbell Choate - FloSports

On July 26, the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics begins. 

Track and field events will begin at the Stade de France in Saint Denis on Aug. 2 and will continue until the 11th -- the Olympic racewalk, meanwhile, will begin on the streets of France on Aug. 1

But while U.S. Olympians will be preparing for career-defining moments in Paris, equally ambitious young athletes will be vying for their own glory here on American soil. 

Over 13,000 athletes ranging from ages 8 to 18 will head to the 2024 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Greensboro, North Carolina, looking to capture their own gold-medal winning moments. 

FloSports Content Manager Cory Mull sat down recently to discuss why the AAU Junior Olympic Games are important for the development of younger athletes and why fans of all ages should tune in. 

Mull has been covering the event since 2017 and will also be in Greensboro for this year's meet. If anyone has seen first-hand how important the national championship meet is for youth athletes, it's him. 

"AAU's goal is to develop the next era of stars in the sport and to further the mission, which is to grow the sport in total," he said. 

When the AAU Junior Olympic Games began in 1967, it was the only track meet of its kind that attracted large numbers from athletes across all ages. Now, multiple athletic brands host large invitational track meets every year, including the New Balance Nationals Outdoor and Nike Outdoor Nationals. 

But 57 years later, AAU still remains the biggest, and arguably the most important, meet. 

"It's the best continual gathering of youth athletics in this country and you see some of the best young athletes in the nation every single year there," Mull said. 

Not to mention, some of this year's U.S. Olympians actually participated in the AAU Junior Olympic Games just a few years back. Historically, Olympians have been borne and bred from this meet. 

Recent Olympians like Sha'Carri Richardson, Grant Holloway, Erriyon Knighton, Quincy Hall and Grace Stark have all competed at the AAU Junior Olympic Games. 

"AAU gives younger athletes a vision for what's possible in five, six, seven years," Mull said. "They see the stars who finish out their careers here and become Olympians and that's how they cultivate their vision for their future."

When it comes to cultivating the futures of young athletes, AAU provides opportunity beyond their club and high school seasons. 

"It comes at such a late time for seniors, so this is a late chance for those who aren't signed and it's a good opportunity for them to get one last great race in," Mull said. "For freshman, sophomore, juniors, it's also a chance to further your career trajectory. If you have a great race at AAU, you can become an NCAA Division I athlete."

So which athletes do you need to watch? 

"Kendrick Jones is future star in the making," he said. "He could be one of the best 200m runners in the country by the time he graduates high school. Maira Scott and Olivia Pace out of Ohio are two teammates from Ohio Heat, and both are headed to the University of Southern California, competing for the last time in their prep careers at AAU."

Mull seen the realization of AAU stars into Olympians. 

At the 2017 and 2018 event, Mull saw Brandon Miller win gold across events, with the Missouri then-teen specializing in the 800m and 1,500m.

The John Burroughs High School runner left his AAU career with 13 gold medals. Six years later at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Miller placed third in the 800m, ran one of the best races of his career and booked his spot in Paris, becoming a U.S. Olympian for the first time. 

He will run in Paris on Aug. 7. 

So why should you watch the AAU Junior Olympics?

"If you want to see future Olympians," Mull said, "this is the place to go." 

The AAU Junior Olympics are streaming on FloTrack and MileSplit. Full content can be found across sites from July 27 to Aug. 3.