WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — In sports, there's winning and there is dominating. When it comes to track, 11-year-old Gunner Hammett of Williamsburg falls in the "dominating" category. He recently returned home with three gold medals from AAU Junior Olympics Games in Des Moines, Iowa.
"I'm really proud of myself because I came a long way," Gunner said.
Gunner walked away with first-place finishes in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and 800-meter run. He broke the national record in his age group in the 800 meters with a time of 2:07:45. He topped that performance in the 400 meters by breaking the national record during the preliminary run at 55:35. But in the finals, he broke his own national record, clocking in at 54:53.
"It just starts with practice, right? I would say I'm driven. I'm motivated," Gunner said, explaining his keys to success.
Gunner's father, Clinton Hammett, is his coach. Practice is three times a week, with lighter exercises on the off days.
"For me as a dad and coach, it has its challenges but at the end of the day as a father being able to spend that quality time as he develops and for him to trust in my path is the reward at the end of the day," Hammett said.
In June, Gunner competed along with 7500 of the nation's top athletes in the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia. Entry into the meet is based on running times alone. Hammett said Gunner was the only kid in elementary school competing. He broke the world record in his age group in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:09.
"One of my proudest moments, out of the many we've had so far, was seeing him break the world record on Father's Day," Hammett remarked.
What makes Gunner feel so proud about his accomplishments are memories of qualifying for the Junior Olympics a couple of years ago in only one of these events, the 800 meters. He placed 56th.
"I did so bad, I did really bad too, back then. I'd probably say that I probably wouldn't have come this far but, you know, I'm here and I came this far."
Hammett believes the sky is the limit for his son who oozes charisma and understands the meaning of character-building and positive sportsmanship. He credits a supportive family of faith and Gunner's determination to succeed. As a dad, he couldn't ask for anything more.