Ani Veltcheva has been competing in age group meets for years. In fact, the Abraham Lincoln Middle School 8th grader from Gainesville, owns the 12 year old world record for the 5k road race. Veltcheva won the AAU Cross Country National Championships twice in her young career and recently won the AAU Junior Olympic Games 3k and defended her title for the third year in a row. We recently caught up with her to talk about that race, her season, and what her plans are for the fall cross country circuit.
How was your training and preparation leading up to the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Regarding my training this summer, honestly, I did not run much. In July, we went on a family vacation to Iceland and Canada. We did a lot of hiking in Iceland, climbed up and down volcanoes, so maybe this could be considered cross training. My sister and I ran in Canada a few times, but it was more of a jog. The jogs were really rewarding because we got to see a lot of beautiful places. Also the weather in Canada is perfect for running, low humidity and much cooler compared to what we have here in Florida.
What was the race like for you?
You were first at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in 2015, 2016, and now this year. What does that say about you having defended your title for three years now?
Having won the 3,000 at Nationals three years in a row makes me really happy! I think this shows that I am definitely a long distance runner, and I would not give it (distance running) up for anything. It also shows that with hard work and concentration, I can achieve anything that I set my mind to.
What's next for you? Just getting ready for cross country?
When the school year starts, I will begin preparing for cross country season. I am not exactly sure what meets I am going to race at, but I will most likely attend 2 to 3 meets. My goal at those meets will be to help my middle school team qualify for FLYRA. The rest of the time I will concentrate on training with Team FTC, so that I can be in my best shape in October, when the FLYRA Middle School State Championship is. My goal at FLYRA is to break my own meet record that I set last year.
