Interview with Miami Southridge junior Cynteria James, who currently owns the nation's fastest high school times for both the 100 (11.59) and 200 (23.52) meter dash after her wind-legal performances and victories at the Sam Burley Hall of Fame Invitational this past weekend at Tropical Park in Miami.
James is part of a star tandem at Southridge with teammate Alyssa Jones, one of the top high jumpers and long jumpers in the country, who also partner up to form the current nation's fastest 4x100 meter relay squad as well with a 45.67 season-best time at Sam Burley.
This weekend, James travels up to New York City to compete in the New Balance Indoor Nationals in the championship division of the 60 and 200-meter dash. After gaining valuable experience competing indoors at the VA Showcase and Bama Showcase earlier this season, James is hoping for a better result learning how to race on a drastically different venue on a 200-meter indoor track compared to the typical 400-meter outdoor tracks that she sees weekly in South Florida.
After starting to run track at the age of 9 and being a regular All-American or National champion finisher at the AAU Junior Olympic Games and AAU Club Champs growing up as a youth, James is now seeking her first individual state title this fall in a competitive 3A classification that has several powerhouse programs including Miami Northwestern and St. Thomas Aquinas. She finished 2nd in the 100 and 3rd in the 200 at last May's FHSAA 3A State Track Finals.
James was an AAU JO age group national champion in the 200-meter dash in 2020 as a freshman and 100-meter dash in 2019 as an eighth-grader, while also has been a champion at the AAU Club Championships for her age group and USATF Junior Olympic Games.
