Red Devil nation has another athlete pursuing greatness. Former Allen Community College and current University of Mississippi track star Isiah Young is set to run for Olympic gold.
The Junction City product is one of three U.S. runners who qualified for the 200-meter dash July 1 at the National Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
The road from Junction City to Eugene ran through Iola. Young needed academic help coming out of high school. He attended ACC to get better in the classroom so he could keep making strides outside of it.
“Allen Community College was great for me,” Young said. “It was a good place for me to get myself ready for a Division I program like Ole Miss. We really worked hard while I was there with the facilities we had. I appreciated the coaching staff and the work they put into me.”
The things he remembers most about his time in Iola, outside of being a standout runner, are the sense of community and smalltown feel. Those were attributes, he said, that were helpful in getting him focused for his path toward London.
“Iola was good for me,” Young said. “It was quiet and friendly. I needed that kind of situation so I could really focus on what was important for getting me to the next level of my education and my running career.”
At Ole Miss, Young has continued to approach his running with a focus honed at ACC. His personal-best time at 22 seconds flat, set while wearing Red Devil colors, was shattered at the Olympic Trials with a mark of 20.16. That time brought him in as the final qualifier in his event. While only placing third, Young remains confident about his chances in London.
“I mean I’ve been feeling good,” Young said. “My body is in great shape and I ran well in my last race so I think it’s only going to be going up in terms of my expectations.”
Turning his attention to London, the Kansan is looking forward to a series of firsts.
“This’ll be my first time going overseas,” Young said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. My mom is probably going to come over and watch me run and also we’ll go see a lot of the events probably.”
As a fan himself of some of the more famous athletes going to the Olympics, Young is particularly excited to see one athlete in particular.
“I think getting to see if Michael Phelps can win 10 medals would be a lot of fun,” Young said. “I want to see him and also I’ll be rooting for USA basketball, too.”
Young will compete Aug. 7-9 through three rounds of competition.
“Hopefully I’ll do well,” Young said. “I’m just going to keep working hard and not take this for granted.”
