2017 AAU Junior Olympic GamesJul 30, 2017 by Johanna Gretschel
Akari Marshall Breaks First AAU National Record Of 2017 Jr. Olympic Games
Akari Marshall Breaks First AAU National Record Of 2017 Jr. Olympic Games
Akari Marshall of Florida broke the Girls Age 9 Triathlon AAU National Championship record at the 2017 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
And the first AAU National Championship Record of the 2017 AAU Junior Olympic Games goes to . . . Akari Marshall of Boynton Beach Track Club!
The nine-year-old triple threat from Lake Worth, Florida, broke a 13-year-old record in the Girls Age 9 Triathlon today at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She scored a total of 1,099 points for her efforts in the high jump (1.20m/312 points), shot put (5.25m/224 points), and 200m (28.88/563 points). The previous record of 1,063 belonged to McKenzie Stanford of Oklahoma.
"Amazing," Marshall said when asked how she felt about her performance. "I'm so happy. I didn't even know I broke a record!"
D'Asia Duncan of Central Jaguars also cleared 1.20m in the high jump and led the competition after the opening event as she had fewer misses than Marshall. But in the long jump, her teammate Payton Sirdine soared to an event-winning mark leap of 6.07m, while Duncan managed just 3.91m. Marshall kept herself in the competition with a third place effort of 5.25m, enough to move into the lead with one event remaining: the 200m.
No problem.
The speedster won the final event of the trifecta by almost a full second, clocking 28.88 (+0.8) to collect the event and overall triathlon win. Runner-up Arianna Thomas ran 29.70.
"I just did what I needed to do," she said of her quick 200m split. "I just kept it and I ran."
Marshall is joining elite company.
Former AAU national championship record holder Stanford would go on to become a standout two-sport athlete at Oklahoma Christian University in track and field and basketball. She became the first female athlete in school history to be recognized as an NCAA Division II All-American in 2016; she earned the award for her basketball prowess after surpassing the 1,000-point career mark.
Stanford is also one of only two women in OCS history to earn All-American honors in more than one sport, as she was named a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) All-American in 2015 in both basketball and track and field; she competes in the high jump and shot put. She has one more year of eligibility on the track team, which she will take while serving as a graduate assistant for the women's basketball team.
Looks like there's plenty for Marshall to look forward to.
The Girls Age 10 Triathlon AAU national championship record is tougher -- and older: Christie Leverette scored 1,402 points in 2000.
Watch Akari Marshall clinch the AAU triathlon title with a 28.88 200m:
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The nine-year-old triple threat from Lake Worth, Florida, broke a 13-year-old record in the Girls Age 9 Triathlon today at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She scored a total of 1,099 points for her efforts in the high jump (1.20m/312 points), shot put (5.25m/224 points), and 200m (28.88/563 points). The previous record of 1,063 belonged to McKenzie Stanford of Oklahoma.
"Amazing," Marshall said when asked how she felt about her performance. "I'm so happy. I didn't even know I broke a record!"
D'Asia Duncan of Central Jaguars also cleared 1.20m in the high jump and led the competition after the opening event as she had fewer misses than Marshall. But in the long jump, her teammate Payton Sirdine soared to an event-winning mark leap of 6.07m, while Duncan managed just 3.91m. Marshall kept herself in the competition with a third place effort of 5.25m, enough to move into the lead with one event remaining: the 200m.
No problem.
The speedster won the final event of the trifecta by almost a full second, clocking 28.88 (+0.8) to collect the event and overall triathlon win. Runner-up Arianna Thomas ran 29.70.
"I just did what I needed to do," she said of her quick 200m split. "I just kept it and I ran."
Our first record of the #AAUJROGames: Akari Marshall of Lake Worth, FL in the 9 Year Old Girls Triathlon.....1099 points! pic.twitter.com/pe16kZ9TKQ
— AAU Track & Field (@AAUTrackNField) July 30, 2017
Marshall is joining elite company.
Former AAU national championship record holder Stanford would go on to become a standout two-sport athlete at Oklahoma Christian University in track and field and basketball. She became the first female athlete in school history to be recognized as an NCAA Division II All-American in 2016; she earned the award for her basketball prowess after surpassing the 1,000-point career mark.
Stanford is also one of only two women in OCS history to earn All-American honors in more than one sport, as she was named a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) All-American in 2015 in both basketball and track and field; she competes in the high jump and shot put. She has one more year of eligibility on the track team, which she will take while serving as a graduate assistant for the women's basketball team.
Looks like there's plenty for Marshall to look forward to.
The Girls Age 10 Triathlon AAU national championship record is tougher -- and older: Christie Leverette scored 1,402 points in 2000.
Watch Akari Marshall clinch the AAU triathlon title with a 28.88 200m:
How to Watch The 2017 AAU Junior Olympic Games
On TV: Available on Roku and Apple TV 4 — download the FloSports app now.Streaming: Only on FloTrack with a PRO subscription. A yearly PRO subscription provides access to ALL FloSports sites. JOIN NOW
BONUS: Yearly subscribers on any of our sites get access to all premium content throughout our network. On MileSplit.com, Universal subscribers get premium access to all sites. Existing monthly subscribers can upgrade to an annual subscription in their account settings.
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