Saturday, June 27, 2015
TRACK — WARREN HARDING
Warren Harding junior Justice Richardson grew up on the same street as former Raider sprinter D.J. Williamson, who won back-to-back Division I 100-meter dash state titles as well as a 200 title as a senior in 2010.
“He had a sign outside of his house that said ‘state champion,’” Richardson said. “That was really cool.”
Is she going to do that?
“Yeah, I hope so,” she said, laughing.
One year after fracturing her foot in the 100-meter dash state final, Richardson became the first Raider girl to win an individual state track title, finishing in 11.85 to hold off Dublin Coffman freshman Abby Steiner, who bested Richardson in the 60 dash at the state indoor meet.
“Before the race, I had this weird energy,” she said. “I knew something was going to happen, but it was a nervous energy as well. When I got into the blocks, it was replaced by excitement. I was ready to run.”
How did she feel when she won?
“It was very triumphant for me,” she said. “It was the best feeling I ever had in my track career.”
A former middle school state track champion, Richardson comes from an athletic family. Her father, Matt, was a standout football player at Youngstown State in the late 1990s and her mother, Janell, ran track at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Although she started playing soccer when she was 5, she stopped playing after middle school when it became clear her future was in track and field.
Richardson plans to run in college, but she has some unfinished business in high school. After winning the district title in the 200, she finished just seventh in the event at regional and did not qualify for Columbus.
She has big goals for that event in 2016.
“I plan to win both the 100- and 200-meter dashes,” she said. “I have a lot of work to do to accomplish both of those, but I’m ready to get back to work.”