Lockhart youth advances to Junior Olympics

Khalil Karl, 11, will race for the gold medal in the National Junior Olympics 3000-meter distance running event on Aug. 1 in New Orleans, La.
Khalil, a Lockhart youth, has been a part of the San Antonio Blazers Track Club for the past few months and has been running since he was nine.
“I guess I started running because my friends were into track,” said Khalil

. “But I have always loved running.”
Khalil has been running for most of his life. He attributes his endurance to when he started playing soccer when he was four.
“Soccer really is just a lot of running around. I think that helped me run long distances,” he said.
With over six weeks of preparation, Khalil has been training five days a week for the Junior Olympics. He has been advanced after placing in the San Antonio Area Qualifying Meet, the South Texas District Qualifying Meet, and the Region IX Championships.
In the Region IX Championships, Khalil broke his record for the 3000-meter run by shaving off 22 seconds after finishing third in the race with a time of 11:17.
The incoming sixth grader looks forward to running with the Lockhart Lion cross-country team.
“I already train with Coach Hippensteel (L.H.S. track coach) and his team. Its fun running with them,” Khalil said.