ODA's Walkes battles injuries to take gold

Perhaps one of my biggest takeaways from the 2018 Florida High School Athletic Association track and field championships, held May 4-5 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, was how much these athletes tolerate pain.

Case-in-point: Saraiah Walkes.

The Out-of-Door Academy freshman blazed through the competition in the 1A girls 100-meter dash (12.18 seconds) to repeat as a state champion in that race.

"I felt that my block technique was really good," Walkes said. "I started out in front of everybody and I have been working on that since March. I'm humble, but right now I feel like nobody can touch me in the 100."

But that was only part of the story.

It appeared Walkes could defend all three of the gold medals (the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes) she won last season, but it wasn't meant to be.

Walkes finished second in the 200-meter dash (24.47), .03 seconds behind first-place Moriah Oliveira of Evangelical Christian, and third in the 400-meter dash (57.51).

To fans in attendance, these might seem to be disappointing finishes for the previous year's champion. Expectations were sky-high, and understandably so.  

It wasn't the easiest season for Walkes. An ankle injury suffered in February sidelined her for a month, causing her to miss the IMG Academy Invitational on March 17, one of the biggest "tune-up" races of the season. A groin injury has persisted all season, not keeping her out of races but slowing her down. It flared again after the 100-meter race on Saturday. Walkes said she did extra stretches before the start of the 200-meter race to alleviate discomfort, but it only helped so much. 

Myself, I tweaked a back muscle taking photos, and having to continue my relatively mundane task after that was taxing enough. Having to race against the best competitors in the state with leg pain? Count me out.

I'd wave the white flag, get an ice pack and try again next year. Not only did Walkes still run, but she still earned medals against the best athletes in the state. 

Walkes said the injuries left her unable to get in the shape she needed to sweep the events, but also said some of her problems were preventable. If she took better care of her health before, Walkes said, including eating right and following proper pacing, she may never have been injured in the first place. 

"I'm happy I was able to finish top-three (in all of her events), but I think if I was able to get attuned to my body earlier in the season, I wouldn't have come in second and third," Walkes said. "It's something I can learn from for next year and for 2020."

The mention of 2020 isn't a reference to the state championships, but the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The first time I ever talked with Walkes, in March 2017, she mentioned qualifying for that event as her top goal. At the medal ceremony, Walkes flashed her gold, silver and bronze medals while wearing a Team USA Olympics jacket. It remains her focus to qualify. 

It's not as far-fetched as it may sound. Last summer, Walkes competed in the 2017 AAU Junior Olympics in Detroit and finished second in the 200-meter run (24.71). That's slower than she ran at the state championships on a bad groin.

Despite the injuries, Walkes is only getting faster. That's scary for her future opponents, and a testament to how badly she wants to be known as one of the greats.