- Nnenya Hailey
- Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, senior
At a track meet in Florida, Nnenya Hailey was expected to win both of her races. But she tripped over a hurdle in the 100-meter race and was beat right at the finish line in the 400-meter race.
“I realized that I wasn’t doing something right and that I needed to change something about myself in order to move to the next level,” Nnenya said.
“I knew that I needed to give something up and the only two things that I love more than track are Pop Tarts and my hair. So, I decided to cut all of my hair off. It took me a really long time to become confident and leave the house, but I did it and am so happy that I decided to.”
Nnenya centers her life on track and is willing to give up anything she needs to in order to be successful.
At the 2011 Georgia Independent School Association state track meet on April 30, she set a new state record by completing the 300-meter hurdles race in 43.57 seconds. Nnenya also won the open hurdles, finishing with a time of 25.28 seconds.
When she was a freshman, Nnenya decided to try both short and long distance running. She was a member of the cross-country team, but realized that long distance running was not for her.
“We had to run the 5K [a five-kilometer race], and I honestly didn’t make it. Cross-country was just too much running for me,” Nnenya says.
This summer, Nnenya attended the International Association of Athletics Federations World Youth Championships meet in France. She received the gold medal in the girls’ 400-meter hurdles race with a time of 57.93.
Nnenya had a great experience in France, and says it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She loved meeting other athletes from across the world, and says that they were all extremely close after the trip. Still, her favorite part was winning the gold medal.
“I know it sounds bad, but it was just so cool to receive the gold medal. Getting to stand on the middle of the podium and being awarded the medal was awesome! Then, I had people ask for my autograph, which was crazy,” Nnenya said.
Nnenya’s coach, Seymour Adlam, says that the athlete is like a dream to a coach. “Nnenya strives to be the best. You know she is going to do everything that she can to get better. She works at what she is trying to get done and you can see that it really pays off,” Seymour says.
Nnenya loves the individuality that is involved in track. “In team sports, people always blame each other for the reason that they lost,” she said. “I like track because it’s you and yourself. If you don’t do well, it’s nobody’s fault but your own.”
What’s Next:
Nnenya is working towards the 2012 Olympics in London. She is hoping to be the youngest athlete to win the gold medal in 400-meter hurdles race. Nnenya is not sure what college she wants to attend, but she is thinking about running at schools such as Clemson University, the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, UCLA and the University of Oregon.