#2. Candace Hill's Dominant Streak To Continue To World Stage
Despite being the heavy favorite to win both the 100 and 200 meter dash at the World Youth Trials, Candace Hill had plenty of nerves going into the meet. After all, the meet which she was attempting to qualify for in the World Youth Championships has been the meet that she has been gearing up for this entire year.
One false start, one slip in the blocks, illness, or an injury could dash those grand plans in a moment. Thankfully, none of those worse case scenarios played out for the U.S. high school national record holder in the 100.
Her day started early with the 100 meter dash finals held when most high school kids on summer break are still snoozing comfortably in their beds. She said her start wasn't good in the 100, but her competition thought otherwise as soon as they looked up, Hill was gone. The sophomore from Rockdale County High School in Georgia won comfortably over a field of national champions, All-Americans, and state champions by nearly three tenths of a second in a 11.48 clocking into a slight headwind.
She would face a much tougher test in the 200 meter dash finals from indoor national champion Lauren Rain Williams, another standout sophomore sprinter from California. Williams matched her pretty well through the first two-thirds of the race, but Hill was able to pull away in the final 40 meters to a 23.14 victory. Williams, who just missed making the World team in the 100 earlier, was able to secure her spot on Team USA for World Youth in a runner-up clocking of 23.33.
The American sophomore tandem of Candace Hill and Lauren Rain Williams will now become teammates taking on the World in Columbia, which a gold and silver medal 1-2 finish is certainly within the realm of possibility between these two future Olympians.
The nation has felt the dominance of Candace Hill this season in the sprints and now the rest of the World is about to experience unbeatable Hill for themselves for the first of likely many times at the high school level and beyond.