Cade Flatt Wins Gatorade's National Player Of The Year Honor

Gatorade POY/AOY

Cory Mull

Jul 12, 2022

* Cade Flatt accepts Gatorade's trophy for National Track and Field Player of the Year

Photo Credit: Gatorade

- - -

"I try to give everything I can for this community. That was a big reason I wanted to wear that high school jersey at U.S. Champs. I wanted kids to look up on the screen and see that Marshall County kid."

By Cory Mull - MileSplit

---

Hindsight is 20/20, especially for Cade Flatt.

But that doesn't make the challenges he's faced any easier. He just has the luxury of viewing it through a different lens now.

Because, listen, there's no better thing as perspective, especially when you've underwent a whirlwind period of life-living. These past five months have been nothing short of amazing for the Marshall County (KY) High School graduate.

Here's what he did: He claimed two national championships -- both indoor and outdoor -- in the 800m; he ran the second-fastest performance ever at the half-mile; he ran the second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh-fastest times in history this spring alone; he ran at the U.S. Track and Field Championships, finishing ninth overall; he made a name for himself; and most importantly, he put down the most memorable season for an 800m runner over the last 25 years.

He knows now that all the pressure he put on himself as a younger kid wasn't necessary. But how do you have perspective when you're 12, 13, 14?

"I'd tell my younger self, everyone's timing is different," Flatt said Tuesday after being named Gatorade's National Track and Field Player of the Year. "There are so many people that you look at it in the sport of track and field that I've seen; and I was like 'Why isn't that me? Why am I not there yet? Why haven't I blown up yet? Why haven't I ran this time? Why can't I do this?'

"You just have to be patient. You have to trust yourself. You have to wake up one day and be unhappy where you are," Flatt said. "I would have told myself sooner and said, 'You can take this as far as you want to, Cade.' It took me until this year to realize that."

It's taken a roller-coaster few years for the Ole Miss recruit to realize that sometimes things happen when you're willing to make them happen. He did just that in 2022.

While Flatt came up just short of eclipsing Michael Granville's 26-year-old record of 1:46.45 in the 800m, finishing his year with a PR of 1:46.48 at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in June, he closed with the single-most dominant high school season at the half-mile since the new millennium. His performance was a top 200 time in the World.

Granville noticed. He communicated with Flatt over DMs this season as the Kentucky native was chasing down his marks.

"We had a couple talks through Instagram," Flatt said. "He's a great guy. I'm sure a lot of people thought he's maybe against me or I'm against him. No, he's a great guy. He's been nothing of supportive all the way."