KILLEEN, Texas (KRHD) — A Killeen native traveled more than 12 hours to compete in a race he was not expected to win — and came home with a gold medal.
Lundyn Reyes won the 3000m event at the Junior Olympics, finishing in 10 minutes 40 seconds and beating his personal record by 30 seconds. He also earned All-American honors in the 1500m.
"Going to the starting line, I knew I can do it. I just had to push hard," Reyes said.
For youth athletes across the globe, the Junior Olympics represents the pinnacle of their work. Reyes knew going into the event he would need to run faster than he ever had before. His strategy was to stay close to the leader.
"His PR was way faster than mine, so I was just going to try and stick with him and have a dogfight at the end, and I won that fight, and I got first place," Reyes said.
Most athletes who compete at the Junior Olympics are backed by major club teams. Reyes was coached by his mother, Alexandra Reyes, who said balancing her two roles was a challenge.
"It's hard to find the balance in the two, so I just had to make sure I stuck to coaching when coaching and momming when momming, and staying consistent, but I had to just trust the process along the way and hope that I was doing right by him as his mom and as his coach," Alexandra said.
Finding that balance made the moment he crossed the finish line in first place even more meaningful for her.
"Tears, stomach was like, oh my gosh, is this happening? It's like — you know, we knew he was coming in as the underdog and we knew it was going to be a fight, but he has that dog mentality like he goes in it to win first place," Alexandra said.
Alexandra's background in running includes marathons, half marathons, ultras, and Ironmans, all developed after a career in the Army. She later pursued coaching certifications to formalize her knowledge of the sport.
Reyes said having his mother on the sideline in both roles was something he valued throughout the competition.
"I see her as both all of the time because she can be my mom when she's yelling at me on the side or she can be my coach, but she's always gonna try and help me through the race, so it just feels amazing to have her there on the side cheering me on," Reyes said.
His father, Angel Reyes, described watching his son compete as a moment of pure gratitude.
"Complete, just gratitude. I know this kid works his butt off. I knew we had an opportunity to do great things because he does have that dog mentality and just to watch it and witness it after all the hard work he put in, it's just grateful to be a part of. He deserves it," Angel said.
Reyes was unattached during the competition, meaning he did not represent a club team, but said it felt good to return to Killeen with a gold medal.
After winning the 3000m, Reyes went on to compete in the 1500m, earning All-American honors in the event. He acknowledged he did not run his best race, finishing 6 seconds slower than his personal record, but said what mattered was the result.
"It was an amazing feeling knowing I can be an All-American in two events, both of them being my best events," Reyes said.
Looking ahead, Reyes said his goals are straightforward.
"I just want to win more, work more, and put in way more work so I can win next year and the year after that," Reyes said.
Reyes also wanted to recognize the other athletes who competed alongside him.
"I wanted to thank the athletes out there for pushing me to my limits and helping me go far in my achievements and get this gold medal," Reyes said.
