Mazama’s Brandon Gailey rides coaches’ advice — ‘Just go and compete’ — to top honors at 4A boys track championships
By René Ferrán | Photo by Taylor Balkom
Mazama senior Brandon Gailey entered Eugene's Hayward Field on Saturday as the top seed in the 100- and 200-meter finals of the Class 4A boys meet at the OSAA track and field championships.
He left a double state champion and the athlete of the meet in helping the Vikings to a fourth-place finish in the team standings.
“I was confident in my ability to perform under pressure, but I knew I was still going to have to earn a medal. It wasn’t just going to be mine,” Gailey said.
“I’m very grateful my coaches coached me up the right way. They knew what I was capable of, and they just said, 'Just go and compete, go get some PRs.' I’m so glad they believed in me.”
As Gailey prepared for the 100 final, he felt “quite nervous,” and to settle himself, he took a few running starts to get a feel of the track.
“Once I got them in, I felt more comfortable on the track, and I got my PR,” Gailey said of his victory in a wind-aided 10.78 seconds.
That victory rolled right into the 200, where he got off to a strong start and ran another personal best in 22.24.
“I gained a lot of confidence from the 100 and felt really good,” the Lane Community College commit said. “I wasn’t really nervous about that one. I just ran my race.”
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