Shamali Whittle of Hamilton sped to victory in the 200m dash (12U division) at the AAU Indoor National Track & Field Championship, held in Landover, Maryland, from March 12-16.
A 6th grader at Crockett Middle School, Whittle survived a false start but quickly regrouped to overtake the field early in the race. He held off a furious charge down the stretch in one of the more exciting races of the day, winning in 26.59. In the process, he captured his second AAU Track & Field All-American title in as many years.
Whittle almost missed the 2015-16 season entirely. After suffering a tear of his patellar tendon, as well as an avulsion fracture in his left knee during a Pop Warner state semifinal game in November 2015, doctors debated surgery as a likely solution. Ultimately, his leg was immobilized for two months, and was only cleared to run in late February after several weeks of of physical therapy treatment with Next Lvl physical therapist Dr. Mike Wehrhahn at the Lights Out Academy facility in Hamilton.
Whittle was cleared for competitive action a few days before nationals, where he faced off against athletes from across the country who had been training since the fall. And after sitting on the sidelines for most of the indoor season cheering on his MySprintClub teammates, he was able to earn a national title on the biggest youth track and field stage of the indoor season.
Whittle now looks forward to the AAU and USATF outdoor championship season, where he expects to compete in the 100m, 200m and 400m sprints at the state, regional and national levels.
