Only a few know of the dark horse that has recently entered the stage of Louisiana distance running. This individual has flown under the radar for some time and is finally finding the spotlight she deserves. Of course, we're talking about Sya Bolden of Ovey Comeaux.
This young lady entered her freshman year in tremendous form, breaking 19 minutes for three miles in just her second-ever cross-country race and even qualifying for the state meet as an individual. This is not even mentioning her stellar track career from middle school.
Her journey this past cross-country season speaks for itself, as she garnered numerous sub-19-minute performances, crowned herself district champion, and claimed an all-state title at the state meet with her 10th-place finish at the Division I Championships. Keep in mind that this is her DEBUT season for cross-country! The standards set by Bolden are astronomical!
Sya Bolden after finishing 3rd at the Division I - Region I Championships
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Not to mention that Bolden, is the only girl on this team, with the exception of her sole teammate, Najhia Ardoin. Not only is she achieving these great marks, but she is essentially training on her own in the meantime.
These feats would have been impressive regardless of classification, but here she is accomplishing what others wish they could do as just a freshman. However, her success is not restricted to just her novel varsity career, she has had plenty of achievements prior to these undertakings.
Bolden emerged as a clear middle-distance specialist when she qualified for the AAU Junior Olympic Games in her 7th and 8th-grade years. During this time, she finished among the best prep athletes in the nation. This includes her best finish of 9th overall in the finals of the 1500m.
During this time, she put up impressive marks that would have been highly competitive if she were to have competed at the varsity level this past year.
Sya Bolden (8) finishing 2nd in her heat at the AAU Junior Olympics in the 1500m
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Bolden took part in the Focus Athletic Track Club, where she was a two-time AAU Junior Olympic games qualifier for both the 800m and the 1500m. Both of her personal bests come from these championships, where she ran 2:23 and 4:54, respectively. For those that don't know, her 1500m conversion to a full mile is equivalent to 5:18!
These performances alone would have ranked Bolden 19th for the 800m and 10th for the 1600m in the entire state of Louisiana, regardless of classification, last year.
Sya Bolden is in every respect, an underrated runner and can easily be seen as the underdog. There is no doubt that she will cause a stir this upcoming track season, as she has already accomplished great feats during these past track seasons.