Framingham Boy Sprints to 18th Place in the Nation

Framingham’s Sam Burgess, 10, ran personal best times in the two events he qualified to compete in, at the 49th USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships in Florida over the weekend.

The USATF Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships is the most visible youth athletic development program in the world.

The Stapleton Elementary student competed in both the 800 and 1500 races in Jacksonville, Florida, after qualifying for the National track & field competition at Fitchburg State University last month.

Burgess finished 27th in the 800 event, for boys ages 9-10, with a time of 2:38.27. It was a new personal best, as his qualifying time on July 12 was 2:44.57.

On Sunday, Aug. 2, Burgess competed in the 1500 event for boys ages 9 and 10.

After three heats, with 47 runners, he finished 18th overall in the nation, with a personal best time of 5:17.36. His qualifying time at regionals on July 11th was 5:28.55.

“The nationals was a fun experience that I really enjoyed. I was running with people that pushed me to run faster because it was really competitive,” said Burgess, who will be a fifth grader later this month.

Click here to watch Burgess’ race in the 1500. He finished first in his heat.

Burgess started his love for running first training for the Golden Eagle 5K as a kindergarten student at Stapleton Elementary.

The National USA Junior Olympic Competition was held July 27 to August 2 at University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

Many of today’s Olympic stars began their track and field careers competing in the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships. Entry for this championship is based on athlete performances at preliminary, Association, and Regional levels of the 2015 USATF Junior Olympic Program. Competition takes place in six two-year age divisions, with athletes generally falling between the ages of 7 and 18.

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Photo of Sam Burgess, courtesy of his mom Lisa.