by Larry Eder
This past week, Candace Hill made history for the second time in 2015 as she signed a ten-year sponsorship contract with ASICS. In signing that contract, Candace Hill, at the age of sixteen, became the youngest track & field athlete in memory to sign a long-term sponsorship.
A fine athlete, Candace Hill had that other sweet moment in time on June 20, 2015, when she became the first high school girl to break 11 seconds. We have included photos from her amazing day and try to explain why Candace Hill is such a unique athlete.
In their careers, athletes of all disciplines are lucky to have perfect competition. Some have many. Some never reach it.
On June 20, 2015, sixteen-year-old Candace Hill ran in the Brooks PR Invitational and became the first high school girl to break 11 minutes while still in high school! Not even the amazing Allyson Felix ever broke 11 seconds while in high school!
Candace Hill running 10.98, 6/20/2015, photo by Brooks Running
To break eleven seconds requires the perfect storm of actions at the very same time. A high level of fitness, a high level of competition, a high focus and an athlete with a high level of talent are required to break 11 seconds in a high school girl. Candace Hill is one of those girls, one in 500,000 or so American girls who competed in high school track in 2015.
Candace Hill has all of those talents.
Now, the next part is the hard one. How does one take Candace Hill, who ran 10.98, and help her develop over the next decade to challenge the likes of Dafne Schippers, Dina Asher-Smith, and, yes, whoever the next Jamaican star will be.
Candace Hill, in ASICS, just being a teenager, photo courtesy of ASICS.
In our sport, great talents come and go. Candace Hill has a real chance to develop with the help of a fine coach, trainer, therapist, nutritionist, family support, and a savvy sponsor. It will take hard work, focus, luck, and more focus, but ASICS, her sponsor, Global Athletics & Marketing, her management team, and her family and training group believe in her.
Athletics is a solitary pursuit. Days on a deserted track, stretching, rolling 150 meters, cooling down, weight workouts, eating, sleeping, and resting that is the less-than-exciting life of an athlete. Days go to weeks, weeks to months, months to years.
To have the support of a brand like ASICS happens for a few athletes. Just because an athlete has great talent does not mean that they can perform on the right day, at the right time. Allowing the athlete to finish their education, to have the support of family, friends, and a fine coach is, again, more than most get.
On the upside, Candace Hall is an exceptional talent with a focused way beyond her sixteen years. We at RunBlogRun look forward to writing about her in 2016, 2020, 2024, and 2028. She looks to be here for a long, long time.
