By TIM GUERCIO

The Natchez Democrat

The Adidas Boost Boston Games were held June 16 in Boston and Adams County Christian School’s Diandrenique Gaines was there.

Gaines was chosen from a list of every high school track athlete in the nation to participate and what’s more Gaines was one of only nine female high school sprinters in the nation to be invited to travel to Boston to run against each other.

Every year Adidas invites a small handful of the nation’s high school track stars, bests of the best.

This year Adidas wanted to showcase the 100 meter and the mile run, and give the nation’s high school stars a chance to mingle with world and Olympic champions who were invited, and to run before a big crowd on a big stage.

Philip Travis, Gaines’s coach, is guiding her career.

“Nique had one of the five best 100 meter times in the country this year,” Travis said. “That is how she got invited.”

Most, if not all athletes, often perform with some type of nagging injury or muscle pull.

Gaines finished third in her 100meter dash while nursing a sore hamstring.

This weekend Meridian is hosting the Meridian Junior Olympics, a district meet, and Gaines is there hoping to finish in the top eight and move on to the regionals, also to be held in Meridian on July 11-14. 

The next stop after that will be Sacramento, California, and the National Championships at the end of the month.

“Nique will qualify in the 100 and the 200 and if we feel her soreness has gone away we may try to qualify for the 400,” Travis said.

Tim Guercio is a sports writer for The Natchez Democrat. Reach him at 601-445-2333 or tim.guercio@natchezdemocrat.com.