Houston-area athletes capture medals at TAAF Games of Texas Track and Field Championships

Photo by 
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS (August 2, 2021) The track and field competition at the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF) Summer Games ofTexas was held at the Corpus Christi ISD Cabiness Stadium on July 29 to August 1, 2021. Despite the hot and humid weather which taxed all competitors, Houston area and Gulf Coast region runners, jumpers, and throwers shown their determining and grit; and return home with numerous medals. 

Many of those athletes had just come off their respective high school seasons, which ended in May and continued their training well into the summer to show off their talents at the 2021 Games of Texas.

In the 18 and under division, Beaumont Track Club took home the gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter relay. The foursome of Jayla Franklin, Keasia Hall, Brianna Howard, and Daja Maxey covered the one-lap distance with the time of 47.09 seconds, just a mere 28-hundreths of a second off the meet record of :46.81 set in 2009 by Dallas Speed by Choice.

Beaumont also captured the silver medal in the girls 18 and under 4 x 400-meter relay with Hall, Franklin, Sanaria Butler, and Ashlynn Lane combining for the time of 4:09.58. Franklin also took home an individual gold medal in the girls 18 and under 200-meter dash with the time of 24.77 seconds. Butler added a silver medal to her haul in the 18 and under 400-meter dash (:57.08). In the long jump, Jamyia Wilson captured the silver medal in the 16 and under long jump (4.77m/15 feet, 8 inches).

Photo by 
Kristine Kelly
TexSport Publications
Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved

The boys 16 and under 110-meter hurdles saw John Sanderson in second place (15.22 seconds). Houston's Monte Bell won gold in the boys 18 and under 800-meter run (2:05.27), with Sonaia Johnson, also from Houston, captuing bronze in the 18 and under girls 800-meters (2:32.69), Fellow Houstonian Aleia Johnson finished third in the 16 and under girls 800-meter run (2:43.95).

Wharton County's Jacorric Allen also won gold, in the 16 and under boys 400-meter dash (49.98 seconds).

Houston’s Donna Bryant, who was attending the Games to watch her granddaughter compete, stated:

“It was a great meet and I was very happy to see my grandbaby run. Even though it is very hot, and I am proud grandma.”

The Games of Texas will return to the Corpus Christi in July-August, 2022. A photo slideshow from the track and field competitionm by TexSport Publications' senior photographer Darla Tamulitis can be viewed by clicking here.