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Lynas competes in Junior Olympics 3,000-meter run

Avery Lynas placed 23rd among the 40 runners who competed in the 3,000-meter race for 11-year-old and 12-year-old girls at the national Junior Olympics competition in Greensboro, North Carolina, July 29.

The De Luz 12-year-old had a time of 11:42.98 on the North Carolina A&T college track.

"It was really tiring," Lynas said. "It was just really hard because there was so much humidity."

Lynas had qualified for the national Junior Olympics by finishing fifth at the regional qualifying race for San Diego, Los Angeles, and Imperial counties which took place June 24 on the Cerritos College track. Her time of 11:08.28 in that race set a personal record.

The Lynas family flew into Washington, DC, July 24, and stayed in McLean, Virginia, before arriving in Greensboro, July 28. The East Coast humidity prepared Lynas somewhat for that aspect, although the toll on her body during the actual race minimized that preparation.

"It didn't really help at all," Lynas said of her running in Virginia.

Lynas used a track at a private high school in McLean for her practice sessions. Because of the humidity, she ran at approximately 9 p.m.

The Junior Olympics race started at approximately 8:15 a.m. "We told her to go have fun, not to stress," said Lynas' mother, Gabrielle.

Lynas didn't discard her instinct during the race. "She's a competitor," Gabrielle Lynas said.

Avery Lynas will use the Junior Olympics race for lesson purposes. "I should practice more in humidity," she said.

She also won't let what she considers a disappointing performance in one race affect her future competition. "I should just keep trying my best," Lynas said.

Author Bio

Joe Naiman, Writer

Joe Naiman has been writing for the Village News since 2001

 

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