By Henry Luzzatto

Correspondent

 

Nansemond River High School’s Syaira Richardson represented Suffolk and the United States at the International Association of Athletics Federations World U20 Championships last week in Bydogoszcz, Poland.

Richardson was part of the U.S. 4×400 meter relay team that won gold in their event at the tournament. Though Richardson herself only ran the preliminary race and not the finals, she said the championships were an unforgettable experience.

“It’s disappointing that I didn’t get to run in the finals, but it was great just to enjoy the week in Poland and bond with the team,” she said.

Richardson, a rising senior at Nansemond River High School, ran the third leg of the 4×400 relay heat to qualify for the finals. The team won its heat with a time of 3:34.64, qualifying for the final meet.

The USA U20 women won gold in the event, with a time of 3:29.11.

Justin Byron, Richardson’s coach at Nansemond River, said it was a great accomplishment for Richardson to be part of such a successful team on her first time on Team USA.

“I’m just excited to see her do so well,” Byron said. “It’s her first time on the team, so it’s a great experience. There’s only a handful of kids in the nation who can say they’ve done that.”

While Richardson has had experience competing on the national stage before in the Junior Olympics, Byron said the IAAF World Championships are a completely different event. In this competition, teams from different countries face off, allowing athletes to compete against the best from all over the world.

“At that age, that’s the largest stage you can compete on,” Byron said. “It’s great that these kids are able to travel the world and compete in their passion.”

Despite not running in the finals of the relay, Richardson will return home with a gold medal for her contributions in getting the team to the finals.

Richardson said the best part of the experience was the chance to spend time with and bond with her fellow athletes.

“We came to the tournament not knowing each other, but we left as family,” she said.

Richardson is one of the few athletes on Team USA who will be returning to high school next year, Byron said. This will give the other runners a chance to learn from her experience, as well as meaning that a top athlete will run for Nansemond River next year.

“For the other runners, it becomes a tangible and reachable goal,” Byron said. “Other runners will be like, ‘Hey, I’m doing the same workouts as this great athlete. I’m her friend, teammate or sister.’ ”

Richardson said she plans to win her third state title in the 400-meter race and hopes to sweep the state tournament in all her events.

In the future, she plans to keep running with eventual hopes for the Olympics.

“The next Olympics will be during my junior year of college, so I already have the goal to qualify,” she said.