Jaworski wins 400 meter title in AAU Junior Olympics

• Athens native posted time of 56.13 seconds in winning race
• 13 year old also competed in the 200 in national meet

As Brooke Jaworski stepped on to the Drake Stadium track in Des Moines, Iowa, preparing to compete in the AAU Junior Olympic Games for the first time, the moment nearly overwhelmed her.

The thousands of spectators, the giant video screen, the pressure to meet her own expectations. It was the first taste of big-time competition for the 13-year-old runner from Athens.

It probably won't be the last.

Jaworski certainly rose to the occasion, winning a national championship in the 400 meters and also placing 12th in the 200.

"It was really scary," Jaworski said. "There are lot of eyes watching you, you're on the big screen. You don't want to mess up. ... The whole time I was pretty nervous. I was really relieved."

Jaworski used that nervous energy to fuel her extraordinary performance in the 400. Her winning time of 56.13 seconds was 1.26 seconds faster than runner up Sar'Quane Ridgley of Austell, Ga. To put the time in perspective, Jaworski — who will be an eighth-grader at John Muir Middle School this fall — ran fast enough that she would have won the WIAA state high school championship in Division 2 or 3 and would have been second in Division I.

"Brooke has been breaking records since she started in track," said Jim Jaworski, Brooke's father and coach. "It was the 13th-fastest time in Wisconsin history for girls under age 18."

Jaworski ran a 26.02 in the 200, but she wasn't particularly happy with her 12th-place finish. Jaworski was determined to do better in the 400, an event better suited to her 5-foot-7½ frame and to her mental approach.

"The 400 is definitely my race," she said. "... My legs are longer, so it's harder to get them around. I like it because it's a long race and anything can happen. For the 400, I like go out hard, stride out, keep a good pace in the backstretch and bring it home."

Jaworski's game plan worked to perfection in Des Moines. She posted the fastest qualifying time with ease, then cruised to victory in the final.

"I won by a good second, 15 meters," she said. "When I crossed the finish line, I couldn't breathe. I was really tired, but when I caught my breath, I was like, 'Wow! I won!'"

With the Junior Olympics done, Jaworski can take a break from track, but not sports. She is a standout cross country runner and a starter on the basketball team.

"It's good, because if you just do one sport it can get kind of boring," she said.

Lou Babiarz can be reached at 715-845-0700. Find him on Twitter as @loubabiarz