Throwback Thursday: Aaron Bell's Progression Shows Promise


As an athlete with versatility across the 100m, 200m and 400m, Aaron Bell has the potential to have a standout senior year in 2021 as he continues to improve his strength and speed.

During his sophomore year, he ran 49s in the 400m five times and ran 48s at the Gateway Conference Championships and FHSAA Outdoor State Championships. He finished ranked 350th in the nation in the 400m, 179th in the 200m with a 21.45 and one of the state of Florida's fastest sprinters in the 100m with a 10.76.

Some questions come to mind in regards to Bell's high school career: How much will Bell improve? How fast will he go during the year? What can we expect from him during his senior year?

One of the questions that can be answered is how much will Bell improve. With the 2020 indoor season completed, he dropped from a 21.83 in 2019 to a 21.53 in the 200m, which finished 12th in the nation. In the 400m, he went from a 49.97 to 49.65 for fourth in the state of Florida. He incorporated the 60m into his cycle of events this year for the very first time. He ran the second fastest time in the country with a 6.72. His personal best ties with Southern Durham's (NC) Jaylen Wright for the number one time ran by a junior this year. 

Bell started in lane three with the neon green shorts at the Carl Lewis High School Invitational. The starting gun went off, and Bell's first steps were low, quick and powerful. About three seconds into the 60m race, he came out of his drive phase and began to sprint down the track. The race was still pretty tight up until that point, however Bell continued to pump his arms and use his knee lift to his advantage. With about 10m left in the race, he had a slight edge on Nolton Shelvin of East Chambers (TX). He crossed the finish line with the victory.

A few weeks later, the Terry Parker (FL) HS junior opened his outdoor season with a 10.58 in the 100m, 21.47 in the 200m and 48.22 in the 400m. 

BOYS 60 METER DASH FINALS	
PLACE	ATHLETE		TEAM	RESULT	H#
1	Aaron Bell	11	Top End TC	6.72	1
2	Nolton Shelvin	12	East Chambers	6.84	1
3	Drew Donley	11	E.R.I Stars	6.92	1
4	Dylan Brown	12	Track Life University/Detroit PAL	6.95	1
5	Jalon Williams	11	Grand Prairie Flash	7.04	1

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