We’ve all seen sprinting, whether it’s a cheetah running away from a predator, or excited children playing tag, we’ve all seen it take place in one shape or form.
A sprinting event requires you to dash at your top-body speed to the finish, leaving you huffing and puffing after exerting so much energy for less than a minute.
On a professional level, there are three sprinting events: 100m, 200m, and 400m.
If you’ve had the honour of witnessing a sprinting event, you’d know the intense atmosphere that runs alongside it.
The athletes get ready to sprint, their body running on sheer adrenaline and nerves, feet planted firmly on the ground in determination, eyes completely set on the finish line.
The pistol is shot, and eight small dots blast toward the finish line.
I recently interviewed my brother, Oscar Tienzo (age 11), about his experience in sprinting.
He recalled being introduced to track as he was, “put down for an athletics competition in my primary school and a person from an athletics academy scouted me.”
There are many athletic academies that take young people under their wing and teach them particular warm-ups and techniques to enhance their athletic performance.
We further discussed how it is also a common misconception that races start with the infamous words, ‘Ready, steady, go!”.
But he explained:
“You go into a little crouch position and when the pistol is shot you just have to launch yourself into the race.”
And for anyone who’s interested in starting athletics, particularly sprinting, he added:
“Just go for it, at the end of the day, it’s better to try something new than not try it at all.”
It’s safe to say, sprinting is a sport requiring vigorous work and unwavering determination.
However, it’s also a great way to improve your mental and physical health whilst making a circle of friends with similar interests.
Or much like my brother, you may find you enjoy the fulfilling feeling of, “Just winning!”.
