Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week: Thomas Harding, Plano, track and field, senior

Name: Thomas Harding

School: Plano, senior

Sport: Track and field

Why he was selected: Harding finished first in all three of his events at the Interstate 8 Conference meet. He anchored Plano’s winning 4x100-meter relay; dominated the 400, running in 51.11 seconds; and also won a tightly contested 200 in 23.13. He was chosen as the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is his interview with Joshua Welge.

Welge: How do you put into words the big night you had at conference?

Harding: Motivation from my team and family and me just trying a new strategy while running.

Welge: Was there an event that stood out?

Harding: My 400-meter race stood out a lot to me because I was confident going into the race and knew that I could get the job done.

Welge: That 200 race in particular sounded really good. What happened there?

Harding: My plan was to get out hard and relax while pushing myself to find a second gear.

Welge: How did you get convinced to try track this year for the first time?

Harding: So I never ran track growing up, but my friends and family always wanted me to. Then my senior year came and I gave it a try, and now I love the sport. It calms everything.

Welge: What’s your thoughts on sectionals this week? What events will you do?

Harding: My thought is to go after it. And even if I’m not at the top I will take that going into college and analyze ways I could get better at certain areas of my races (4x100, 400 meters and 200 meters).

Welge: I heard you are running track at the College of DuPage. How did that come together?

Harding: I’m blessed that I get to give Robert Cervenka, the head coach of the College of DuPage track and field team and organization, a possible look and that extra push and grow from there.