Andi Gourd, of Central High School in Sallisaw, Okla., stands atop the medal podium on May 4 in Oklahoma City after winning the Class 2A 3,200-meter race. COURTESY PHOTO




BY WILL CHAVEZ 
Senior Reporter 

SALLISAW, Okla. – Cherokee Nation citizen Andi Gourd of Central High School at this year’s Class 2A track and field championships was favored to win the gold medal in the 3,200-meter race.

However, the May 4 race at Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma City was not a locked up in her mind. She said she was worried there was a runner “who could come out and run the best race of their life.”

Luckily for Gourd, that runner was her, setting a personal best in the 3,200-meter race with a time of 12 minutes, 10.90 seconds. Her previous best personal record was 12:18. She also finished 22 seconds ahead of the second-place runner. 

“I knew I was supposed to win it, but I wanted to really bad. I was afraid someone was going to take it from me,” Gourd said. “I knew since I was picked to win it, I wanted all of the other runners, that thought they might have a chance…to think that they just weren’t going to catch me so I pulled out in front really fast and kept that pace for a long time.” 

The 3,200-meter race consists of eight laps around a quarter-mile track. Gourd said as she reached the fourth lap she was “pretty confident” she had the race in hand, but admitted she was “losing steam” because she had ran her 1,600 meters so fast. 

By winning the race, Gourd became Central High School’s first state track meet champion.

“We trained hard, and we were really dedicated. It was all in my mindset I guess, I had to be really strong willed but not go overboard with it,” she said. 

Gourd also competes in cross country competitions and enjoys running in 5K runs with the CN Wings Program, a fitness program that encourages community members to stay fit by walking and running. She said she usually runs in five to six Wings races during a year in the Sequoyah County area.

“I love running through Wings. I love the atmosphere at every 5K because everyone is motivating each other, and it’s just a fun experience every time,” she said.

However, running 5K runs does not prepare her for track competition, so she ran more sprints on a certified track to prepare for the state meet.  

“For track, you’re always practicing on the track,” she said.

Going into the 1,600-meter race on May 5 at the state meet, Gourd said she was picked to finish fourth. 

“I’m really not a fast runner. The 1,600 feels like a sprint for me, but I was just determined to stay with the leader for as long as I could. I guess at the end of the race, I felt like I had more energy because of the adrenaline,” she said. 

Gourd won the race and the gold medal with a time of 5:32.37, more than three seconds ahead of Cheyenne Choate from Hennessey. Gourd finished second behind Choate at the 2A cross country state championship last year. 

Gourd, a 17-year-old junior, said she is looking forward to another year of competition, especially after being named Female Athletic of the Year on May 15 by her school. 

For her senior year, Gourd wants to win gold again at the state track meet, but more importantly she wants to continue to improve her running times and set new personal records. 

“I think the times are better than the placement,” she said.

will-chavez@cherokee.org

918-207-3961