Former Lady Warrior Syaira Richardson qualified to race in Peru after placing fourth in the 400-meter dash last weekend at the USATF Junior Nationals Outdoor Meet.

Now that the USATF Junior Nationals Outdoor meet is over, Richardson is preparing for Peru next month, as she qualified for the 4×400 relay team. What’s most impressive about the performances Richardson had last weekend was that she ran some of the fastest times she has ever run.

In a matter of a month, Richardson went from 5A outdoor state champion to outdoor All-American at nationals to qualifying for the USATF team.

In the 400 prelims, she ran a time of 52.48. From there, she went into the finals and ran a time of 52.25. Both times were personal records. She officially ends her senior season of high school track with two of her most impressive performances. With the time of 52.25, she also ran a new state record.

“It’s a stress reliever to end my senior year on a good note and be under 53 seconds,” Richardson said. “It was a great experience not only to be able to make my second team but also be able to watch high-end pros compete was certainly the highlight of the meet.”

It was her third time participating in the USATF meet, and she felt she came into the trial more confident. She knew the weather played a factor as well as being familiar with the competition.

“I felt like with the way nationals had gone, I was prepared to run a lifetime best,” she said. It feels unreal to be under 53 seconds finally.”

Last year, Richardson made the USATF team as she represented Nansemond River High School in Poland. Richardson was a part of the 4×400 team that won the gold medal. She didn’t run in the finals but ran during the prelims. She is looking forward to running on the finals team this year.

“This time around I will take it more serious,” she said. “I only ran prelims last year, and I would like to be able to run prelims and finals this season and split well.”

Running the times she ran last weekend has motivated Richardson in a big way. It has made her optimistic about her development when she gets to college. She is currently in Ohio attending classes at Ohio State University.

She will continue to be in contact with Nansemond River coach Justin Byron but will be doing most of her training with her college coaches.