When Warren Easton junior Germain Smith-Mata woke up in Birmingham, Alabama the morning of his first meet of the season a month ago-he decided to do a little research. In that research, he found the record for the boys' 15-16 60m, a race he would be running later that day.
What he found was that the meet record at The Gallaria Games was 6.90 set by Terrell Robinson Jr. in 2020.
"I knew I could do it if I ran my race correctly," Smith-Mata said.
He ran it correctly on the Mondo surface of the Birmingham Crossplex finishing with a meet record of 6.85.
While he thought he could break the record, he wasn't expecting to run that fast.
"I shocked myself," Smith-Mata said of his time.
It was a great start to a season after sitting out in 2022 after transferring from John Curtis to Warren Easton. While some teenagers would be disappointed with losing an entire year of high school eligibility, Smith-Mata chose to view the experience as a positive one.
"Looking back, it was a blessing," Smith-Mata said. "I grew as a person. It allowed me time to learn more about the sport. Sometimes, I think back and just thank God for that year."
On Thursday afternoon, Smith-Mata put the finishing touches on his preparations for the LSU High School Classic, working to fine-tune his technique less than 48 hours before he will get settled in the blocks at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on the campus of LSU and attempt to have another record-breaking performance.
Breaking the LSU High School Classic 60m record of 6.86 would not shock Smith-Mata or anyone else who has been keeping up with Smith-Mata's progress.
Ruston's Kemondrick Walter holds the LSU High School Classic record of 6.86. It was set in 2016.
But, records aren't Smith-Mata's focus.
"Knowing that I have run faster than the listed record puts a little pressure on me, but I don't want to focus on records. If I do, I'll be thinking about that and tighten up. I am going to go out and focus on running a perfect race."
Germain Smith-Mata, St. Warren Easton junior
"Knowing that I have run faster than the listed record puts a little pressure on me," Smith-Mata said. "But I don't want to focus on records. If I do, I'll be thinking about that and tighten up. I am going to go out and focus on running a perfect race."
One difference between the The Gallaria Games and the LSU High School Classic is that he should-barring disaster-get two opportunities to run the 60m-in the prelims and, then again, in the finals.
The last time the LSU campus hosted a plethora of elite high school sprinters was last May at the LHSAA State Outdoor Championship. At that meet, it was Holy Cross' Krosse Johnson who rose to the top in the meet, winning the LHSAA Class 5A 100m with a 10.54 and also anchoring his team's sprint relay to a come-from-behind victory in the 400m relay.
Johnson, who like Smith-Mata is a junior, competed in the 17-18 division of the 60m at The Gallaria Games. He finished third in a loaded field running a 7.01 after qualifying for the finals with a 6.97.
Will Smith-Mata be able to make it two in a row on breaking meet records in the 60m? You can find out Saturday morning at 10am by tuning into MileSplit LA and watching the LSU High School Classic LIVE.
WATCH THE LSU HIGH SCHOOLCLASSIC HERE!