LAKEWOOD — Jeremy Rankin stepped slowly up the bleachers at Jefferson County Stadium, slapping hands with his happy Overland High teammates along the way.
After a couple of high-fives and “Good job, Jeremys,” the navy-blue clad Blazer track fans stood and applauded Rankin, the newly crowned 5A 100-meter state champion, with a much-deserved ovation.
Rankin’s winning time of 10.63 seconds was the fastest of the day from any of the classifications, yet it was 0.31 seconds slower than the state record time of 10.32 Rankin set as a sophomore in 2007.
Yet on Saturday, that final time wasn’t important. All that mattered was the gold medal that Rankin clutched in his right hand as he climbed up those bleachers, each step bringing him closer to his father, Ezekiel, who was waiting to greet his son with a hug.
It was quite a different scene than the evening before, when Ezekiel Rankin and Overland coach Bill Edwards had to try to comfort — and refocus — an inconsolable Rankin after he finished second in the 200 meters to Jordan Edwards.
“He’s just started to get healthy again, and (Friday) oh, boy, he just cried like a baby,” Ezekiel Rankin said. “And I thought, ‘Oh, my God, I hope he can hurry up and get over that because these boys aren’t going to sit back and wait while he’s feeling sorry for himself.’ But he did it, and I’m proud of him.”
The setback in the 200 meters wasn’t nearly the biggest challenge Rankin has endured in recent years. First there was the partially torn quadriceps muscle that forced him to miss the summer racing season in 2007, just after he burst onto the track scene with his state record time.
He recovered enough by the next winter to run 6.64 seconds in the 60-meter dash at an indoor meet — the fastest time by a high school runner that year — only to strain his hamstring during the outdoor season. He reaggravated that hamstring again this year leading up to his final high school season.
“It’s been real frustrating, but it’s something you have to deal with,” said Rankin, who graduates next week and will head to the University of Florida on a track scholarship. “I’m in it for the long haul, though, so I’m not going to let these injuries bring me down.”
At the state meet last year, Rankin could only watch as Edwards was crowned the 100-meter champion. Combined with the heartbreak from Friday night, when Edwards stormed past him midway through the 200 race, Rankin arrived Saturday with a mind-set of “No excuses.”
“I wanted to come out here today and prove to myself that I can run and win,” Rankin said. “I didn’t feel like I was dethroned. I felt like the 100 was still mine. Just had to come out and run it.”
Rankin controlled the race from the gun and puffed out his chest as he leaned across the finish line 0.08 ahead of Edwards, who finished second in 10.71 seconds. Rankin gave a quick pump of his fists, and pointed eastward across the track to where his coaches and family were watching.
“The key thing, coming off the injuries that he had, was to get back on that podium and win, and that’s what he did,” said his coach. “There were a lot of naysayers out there, people who were doubting whether he could do it, and they had even approached me with it. But the thing was, Jeremy dug down deep, even after the disappointment last night. He decided he was going to come out here and win. The time wasn’t important, he just wanted to get the victory.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
