(Photo By Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
The Pan Am Junior Championships will make for a busy weekend for Symone Mason. Mason, who pulled off the 100, 200, and 400m triple at the state meet is entered in the 100, 200 and 4x100m relay in Trujillo, Peru. Luckily for the University of Miami signee the 100m will be contested on Friday while the 200 and 4x100m relay will be run on Saturday.
Her US#1 11.24 from the Bob Hayes Invitational is seeded second behind fellow South Floridian and defending Pan Am Junior Champion Khalifa St. Fort. St. Fort will run for Trinidad & Tobago and owns a personal best of 11.06s. In the 200, her time of 23.00 from Bob Hayes ranks first. Barring any setbacks Mason should come back to Florida with several medals in hand.
We caught up with her to talk about her preparation and goals coming into the meet
What have you done to prepare for Peru?
Prior to Peru, my training has pretty much consisted of race preparation for both the 100 and the 200.
What are you looking forward to most about this experience?
I'm mostly looking forward to team bonding and collaboration.
What events will you be competing in and what are your goals?
I'll be competing in the 100,200 and possibly the 4x100. My only goal is winning but if a fast time comes with it, I'll take it.
How excited are you to represent team USA?
Representing team USA is always an honor. Not everybody gets a chance to do it so I do it with pride. It's cool to walk in the stadium or ride down the street and have everyone looking at us.
How much fun is it also to be competing alongside of several of Florida's fastest athletes?
It's always nice to have other #FLFast members on the team.
