A fruitful journey
2022 Yuma Sun/Yuma Rotary Club Girls Track Player of the Year Cibola’s Sanchez earns first state medal in last attempt
This past track season, Cibola senior hurdling specialist and Yuma native Janelle Sanchez qualified for the
100 meter and 300 meter hurdles at the AIA Track and Field State Championships in Mesa.
Never having medaled at state during her high school career, she was determined for the best possible outcome this time around. As a junior last year, she just missed medaling in the 300 meter hurdles as she took fifth place.
This season, she placed eighth in the 100 meter hurdles, not a high enough placing to receive a medal. It all came down to how she would perform in the 300 meter hurdles as to whether or not Sanchez could realize her dream of becoming a state medalist.
“Being one spot off from my goal last year in this event, I put so much work into this sport to give myself a better chance this year,” Sanchez tells The Yuma Sun.
As she recalls the 300 meter race, Sanchez says she was performing up to her own expectation level during the first 200. However, she noticed that the other competitors were ahead of her at that point. Something had to change.
“I don’t think I was doing anything wrong, it’s just that the other girls had so much adrenaline and this was a state meet, so everybody is so talented,” Sanchez explains. “So for the last 100 meters, I said ‘hey, do you want a medal or not?’
That’s when I gave it all I had because anything can happen in the last 100 and I didn’t want to leave any room for a mistake.”
As it turned out, Sanchez kicked it into high gear down the stretch and wound up with a final time of 44.60 seconds, good for fourth place and a state medal. Afterward, Sanchez states that she immediately felt a sense of relief having accomplished the very milestone she was aiming for.
“It’s an amazing feeling especially knowing how far I’ve come in this sport. My passion is hurdling and I’ve put a lot into this.”
As Sanchez reflects on her journey to become a track and field state medalist, her interest in hurdling started out as merely a curiosity. Early on in her high school days as
a freshman, she saw another girl out on the track doing hurdles.
Armed with a background in gymnastics and soccer, Sanchez says the moves of the hurdler mimicked the movements she had already practiced in other sports. In order to make such drastic improvements in a short amount of time, Sanchez credits Cibola coach Mike Rodgers for helping her progress as a hurdler.
“It all started out as a joke, basically. I just thought it looked like fun so I wanted to get started. When I look back at video of myself from that time, I can honestly say it wasn’t the cleanest performance, so I’ve improved a lot since then,” Sanchez laughs.
Beyond high school, the state medalist says she plans to continue competing collegiately, but has not yet signed a National Letter of Intent. From an academic standpoint, Sanchez, a self described “math nerd,” says she plans to major in engineering in college and has ambitions of becoming an engineer like her father Francisco.
When asked about how she developed such a passion for a sport she first tried on a whim, Sanchez revealed that a deep connection began to develop in hurdling that she did not experience in other sports.
“With soccer, I guess I played it only because I was decent at it. But with track, it gave me something to work for and I ended up loving it. I have such an incredible bond with my team and I’m very grateful for all my track teammates,” Sanchez continues.