MORGANTOWN — Morgantown High School track and field athlete Joaquin Summers will represent Ecuador in the upcoming South American Games in Lima, Peru, which will take place July 8-15.
The rising sophomore holds dual citizenship in Ecuador and the United States and was selected to run the 800-meter race in the U-20 division for the Ecuadorian team on the international stage.
Summers will run for Ecuador for the first time and said he couldn’t be happier to have been selected.
“It was a bit of a surprise when I found out; I didn’t really expect to be chosen,” Summers said. “Especially at the U-20 level. I am very excited for the opportunity. I’m having so much fun with the sport right now, and whatever comes my way, I want to do my best and make the most of it.”
His older sister, Amelia, also ran for Morgantown High before heading to Elon University.
While Morgantown covers a lot of ground during the track and field season, traveling to different meets in and out of the state, Summers said the feeling of competing internationally will be like nothing else.
“It’s incredible that I even have the chance to do this,” he said. “Being able to go to Lima for a week with my team for training and then to compete is something people dream of doing.”
With three years ahead of him at MHS, Summers said the next few weeks will help him see where he stands and where he will need to improve before his sophomore campaign. He currently holds a personal record of 1:57.
“I came here as part of the team, and we all traveled together, so it’s great having people to look up to and ask for advice about anything,” he said. “I hope to go out and run some of my best times, but even if that doesn’t happen, I know I will have so much to take away from the experience.”
As a freshman, MHS head coach Steve Blinco said that Summers was thrust into many challenging positions and always answered the call.
“Freshmen don’t always get to compete, and few get to accomplish what Joaquin did,” Blinco said. “Having some good upperclassmen around him helped show him what our expectations were and what his realities could become. As a coach, friendships like that always inspire me. Joaquin’s choice to challenge himself at home and abroad is special for him and our school. He will represent us all, and we know he will do great.”
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