In last year's FHSAA 3A State Championships in the 800 meter run, one of the best races over the four days of competition in Gainesville for the state meet was produced with three athletes breaking 2:10 between Cha'iel Johnson (1st, 2:08.35) of Dillard, Samantha Kavanagh (2nd, 2:08.47) of Northeast, and Raquel Edwards (3rd, 2:08.84) of Dillard.
None of the three South Florida mid-distance stars graduated and they had reunion meeting together again over two laps on Saturday at the Flying L Alumni Last Chance Meet hosted at Coral Springs High School and the same outcome as last May with the two-time state champion Johnson dispelling both of her worthy challengers in the end.
Johnson had faced off with Edwards only three days prior at the Fort Lauderdale City Championships with both runners taking a more conservative approach thru the first 400 meters with a 66-67 second split as Edwards was doubling back from a 5:00.00 PR race in the 1600 meter run earlier in the meet. Johnson was able to pull away from Edwards on Wednesday on the final straightaway with a 2:12.79 win to Edwards in second at 2:13.30.
After running 2:08 as an eighth grader in 2019, the St. Thomas Aquinas senior Cha'iel Johnson finally broke through to see a time of 2:07 flash next to her name for the first time this weekend. Johnson charged out from the fire of the starter's pistol to blast the first 400 meters in a 60 second split with Kavanagh and Edwards attempting to stay connected to her.
By the 600 meter mark, Johnson started to gap her two challengers and pour it on for the final 200 meters as she crossed the line first with a lifetime best performance at 2:07.83. Edwards ran a season best time of 2:10.56 for second place, while the University of Miami signee Kavanagh slowed down in the final stretch for third place in 2:14.
Johnson now possesses the nation's third fastest time of the season behind only Sadie Engelhart of California at 2:06.71 and Kailey Littlefield of Texas at 2:07.02, while moves her ahead of other top Florida 800 meter runners not in the race with her on Saturday in Michelle Smith (US #, Layla Haynes, and Ka'Myya Haywood as the current state leader.
The performance also moves the unsigned senior Johnson up to sixth fastest all-time in Florida high school history.