One Local Teen Has His Eyes On Gold

It seems Tyreek Booe didn't find running, but rather running found him. 

His speed was noticed while he was playing football for during his freshman year two years ago. 

"They asked if i'd do track and field but I wasn't excited about it," the now high school junior said matter-of-factly at the Thursday. "I didn't want to do that, I wanted to play football."

But it seems once he got off the grid-iron and onto the track, his favorites quickly changed. In just two years track became Booe's favorite and racked up a number of awards and victory ribbons with his club team, Track RC.  

Although he still plays and enjoys football, Booe said he feels something different when he's on the starting block on the track. 

"It's so exciting, you hear the gun and you just have to go," he said. 

And it's his speed that's taking him all the way to New Orleans next week to compete in the Junior Olympics, something Booe said he'd never dreamed he'd be doing. 

Qualifying just weeks ago, the junior and his coach are leaving Saturday for the week-long competition. 

"I'm excited and a little nervous," he said. "I think I can do it."

He specializing in shorter distances because, he said, "they're quick and easy."

He can run the 100-meter dash in just 11.3 seconds and 200-meters in 22.4 seconds. 

His goal is cut less than a second off his 100-meter time so he will be seriously considered by colleges. 

"They're looking for 10.8 seconds," he said. "I have two years to get to that."

While he's not sure where he would like to go to school (right now he is leaning toward Temple or Penn State), Booe said one thing's for sure - he wants to run in college. 

And, while he came to running late, he'd like to eventually become a physical therapist and work with running and other sports-related injuries.

"I love sports and I want to be able to help people play sports," he said, adding that he knows what its like to be benched. Just this spring he suffered an injury and was out of the season for six weeks. 

But, still, he didn't miss a beat. 

"I just comes right back," he said. 

And it's that natural talent that he's hoping will get him to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics. 

"I'm really going to try to get there," he said.