By the midway mark of nearly every race this season, Gibbs’ Trayvon Bromell has taken command, leaving opponents behind in the most romanticized track and field event, the 100 meters.
But Bromell did not ease off.
In each race, he accelerated smoothly and ruthlessly, never letting up until he was well clear of the finish.
In an event measured in hundredths of a second, he was searching not only for wins but specific times. He got what he wanted last month, running the 100 in a non-wind-aided 10.14 seconds, a time that ranks as the fastest in the nation this season.
That earned a spot in Saturday’s Grand Prix Adidas Dream 100, a prestigious event that brings together nine of the fastest high school sprinters in the nation to compete in a 100-meter race.
The race will be held at Icahn Stadium in New York.
“All those times, all that work was put in for this race,” Bromell said. “This is the race I wanted to be in all season. I knew I had to get my ticket to this event.”
Bromell started putting in the work to get invited after watching last year’s race online.
“I started thinking I should be in this race,” he said. “I saw some of the times guys had and there were 10.8s. I thought I should have been in it last year with those kind of times.
“So I made sure I ran fast enough this year there would be no doubt about whether I would get there. I wanted to prove that I can be right there with the best.”
He is more than that now, and he believes he can beat the stars of track and field.
Bromell will get his shot at one of the mainstays of the Dream 100: Orlando Jones’ Levonte Whitfield, the defending champion and event’s first three-time invitee. Whitfield is coming back from an injury that forced him to miss the Class 2A state meet.
The two raced in an anticipated matchup at the Florida Relays in April. Bromell false started. Whitfield won.
“That was just something where I was trying to get a fast start against some fast competition,” Bromell said. “I have to put that race out of my mind and concentrate on what I need to do in this one.”
Another formidable opponent on Saturday is Ridge Point Texas’ Cameron Burrell, son of former world record holder Leroy Burrell. Cameron has the fastest wind-aided time this season (10.07 seconds).
Bromell is looking forward to the competition with the gusto of a talented upstart.
“I’ve gotten a lot of recognition locally and around the state,” he said. “Now I’m trying to get that same recognition nationwide.”
Grand Prix Adidas Dream 100
When: Saturday. Boys 100 will go off around 12:45
Online: Watch live at adidasgoldenstripes.com