On the first day of competition at the National Junior Olympics in Baltimore, two of our athletes had stand out performances today in the Racewalks. Jason Gomez, Midget boy from Oakhill Racing captures the gold medal in the 1500m racewalk with a time of 7:33.33. Last year's performance Jason earned him the silver with a 8:08.84. But a PR today brought home the prize. Jason will also compete later on in the week in both the 800m and 1500m runs.

Yet another outstanding gold medal performance was by Caitlin Palacio, Youth Girl from LSI Sprint She profoundly beat her competition with a blazing time of 15:53.19. Second place was at least a half a lap behind her. This performance has earned her the title of 6-time Junior Olympic Champion. She has won gold every year since being a first year bantam. She bettered last year's time of 16:28.70. Both of these times meet the qualifying standards to race at Junior Nationals.

Congratulations to both of these athletes and to all the other racewalkers from the Pacific Association who competed in the walks. None of our athletes were disqualified and can be proud of their accomplishments.

Respectfully Submitted:

Becky Klein
Youth Racewalk Chair