In Hershey, Pa., chocolate isn’t the only thing that’s sweet. For Rachael Lopez of Fort Lupton, the taste of victory at the Hershey’s Track & Field Games on Aug. 1 was just as delicious as, say, a big Kiss.
The 13-year-old eighth-grader at Quest Academy in Dacono won the girls 800-meter run in a breathtaking victory that was long in coming not only for Rachael but for the Lopez family. And in the beginning of the race, victory didn’t seem likely.
“It was kind of an iffy start,” Rachael said. “It didn’t look like I was going to win the race from the beginning. . . . By the first 100 (meters), I was in seventh place out of 11 girls.”
But a seventh-place finish wasn’t palatable to Rachael, having accomplished that at the prestigious Hershey’s Games in 2007 as an 11-year-old, after experiencing a bittersweet runner-up effort in the 400 meters in 2005 as a 9-year-old.
Given this would be her final chance in the games because of age restrictions, Rachael’s hunger was greater than a finish in the back of the pack.
“It was my last year running the meet, so I just went all out,” she said.
Yet Rachael wasn’t about to attempt to consume the lead in one big bite, either.
“I think they took off too fast for what they were running,” Rachael said, “so I just pretty much ran my race. I knew I was in seventh, and I knew I could win the race.”
Eventually, Rachael willed her way into the lead.
“It just seemed like it took forever for her to catch up to the top three,” said Rachael’s mother, Theresa, who is no stranger to competing in the games herself — she finished fourth in the 800 as a 12-year-old in 1982.
After trailing by what Theresa said was “a good 25 meters,” Rachael not only took the lead but built a cushion of similar proportion.
“At the 200 meters of the last 400, my legs were, like, done but I had to keep pushing,” Rachael said. “Going into the last 100, I was about 25 meters in front of them. I could hear them behind me so I just pushed harder. I was just afraid that they would come up, and I wouldn’t have anything left. But I did.”
Rachael had enough left to finish in a personal-best 2 minutes, 21.38 seconds. Canadians Natasha Smallwood and Leah Macaulay finished second and third, respectively, in 2:21.95 and 2:21.98.
For her dogged determination, Rachael is The Denver Post Youth Excellence in Sports winner for August.
YES!
“I was proud beyond words,” Theresa said. “A parent always wants (children) to follow in their footsteps, but to watch Rachael actually win was just phenomenal.”
From mother to daughter the baton was passed, and what a wonderful taste the Lopez family has to savor.
Al Daniel: 303-954-1892 or adaniel@denverpost.com
Honorable mention
Rachel Bublitz: Aboard partner Oliver, the 16-year-old home-schooled junior from Parker won the CVI one-star division at the Kentucky Vaulting Cup — a competition that can be described as gymnastics and dance on horseback — on Aug. 1 in Lexington, Ky.
Christina Fasci: The 14-year-old freshman at Rangeview High School finished fifth in the discus and ninth in the shot put in her age division at the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics in Greensboro, N.C., before heading to the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa, where she placed fourth in the javelin and seventh in the shot put and discus.
Colorado Stars: The Aurora swim team of Missy Franklin, Jordan Mattern, Kelly Naze, Caroline Piehl, Alex Todd and Christine Wixted, with a meet record of 3 minutes, 48.52 seconds in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay in hand, won the girls team title at the USA Swimming Junior National Championships in Federal Way, Wash., from Aug. 10-14.
Real Sharks: The soccer team from Highlands Ranch, consisting of Sebastian Anderson, Grant Bell, Brandon Halpin, Cade McMillen, Sean McNair and Luke Wood, beat the previously undefeated Kansas City United Fire 3-2 on Aug. 2 in Vail to win the 3v3 U6 Rocky Mountain regional championships and qualify for the Kick It 3v3 world championships Jan. 16-18 in Kissimmee, Fla.
Tiana Yocam: The 17-year-old senior from Kiowa High School rode her horse Midnight to her second Little Britches Rodeo Association world barrel racing title Aug. 1 in Pueblo.
Know a top athlete?
Youth Excellence in Sports honors those 17 or younger who have excelled in any athletic endeavor unaffiliated with the Colorado High School Activities Association. To submit your choice for the top individual or team achievement during September, visit for an online form or fax a brief description of the achievement to 303-866-9004 (Attention: “Youth Excellence”).
