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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Medgar Evers is losing one of the nation’s top track and field athletes in the country in Kadecia Baird. Luckily, as the Nebraska-bound sprinter exits, a new star has emerged, in rising sophomore Shayla Broughton.
Broughton’s coming out party was also Baird’s New York City swan song. Baird won three gold medals in the Public School Athletic League outdoor championships to help the school win its first-ever city title. Broughton, meanwhile, won the pentathlon with 3,273 points and the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 6 inches. She also narrowly finished second in the 100-meter hurdles. Baird said Broughton is going to be “fantastic,” and Medgar Evers coach Shaun Dietz has already set lofty expectations for the talented Broughton.
“I think she has the talent to be one of the best ever for any event that she wants to compete in, to be honest,” he sad. “She’s that kind of kid.”
Broughton has already proven she can overcome adversity. She fell over a hurdle at the league’s indoor city championship meet causing her to place seventh in the 55-meter hurdles. It cost her a trip to the state championships in the event. Broughton was disappointed, but didn’t dwell on it, and just set her sights on the next competition.
“I knew there was going to be outdoors,” she said. “So I just got over it and trained even harder.”
Her early success in the pentathlon also makes her special. It is usually an event people have to grow into and try later in their careers. Broughton said she started competing in the pentathlon (hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump and an 800-meter run) since she was in middle school. She placed second in the pentathlon in the outdoor state meet and enjoys the versatility competing in the event shows.
“It makes me feel unique because you do all those events in one day,” Broughton said. “I’m doing a lot of events. Not everybody can do that.”
Her best event is still the high jump, in which she was already the best in the state both indoors and outdoors. Her personal best was 5–8 indoors — good enough for seventh in the nation. She won the high jump, hurdles, and long jump at the Junior Olympics in June.
“You have to have a lot of skills to do high jump,” Broughton said. “It’s not that easy, and it’s challenging.”
Broughton has the skills and demeanor to take on any challenge. I’m eager to see how far she will go and how much she will accomplish. All the early indications point to “pretty far” and “plenty.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.