FWB's Smith Wins AAU Junior Olympic Games Championship

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Kambry Smith wanted only to run a good race.

After spending much of the past four months racking up easy mileage and doing light speed work without any organized competition, Smith, Fort Walton Beach’s rising senior track and cross-country phenom, was unsure of where she stood headed into the first day of the AAU Junior Olympic Games on Wednesday in Satellite Beach.

Fewer than 11 minutes after her first event, Smith had her answer. She was a national champion.

Smith left her 17-18 division competition in the dust and placed first in the women’s 3,000-meter run, finishing in 10 minutes, 31.04 seconds.

“It felt pretty good,” Smith said. “My plan going into the race was just to stay back with the two people in the front and let them lead me through the race.

“On the second lap, I realized I was feeling pretty good, so I just decided to go for it and take the lead. The rest of the race, I was just focusing on my breathing and my form and trying to stay relaxed. I think I did a pretty good job.”

She can say that again.

Macy Schelp of Kirkwood, Missouri, placed second in 10:37.09, and Zoie Kiddy of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, placed third in 10:46.77. Neither sniffed Smith’s time, though Smith said she relished the opportunity to compete against some of the nation’s best runners.

“It was good completion,” Smith said. “The girls, we were all pushing each other. It was a nice environment.”

The race itself presented few obstacles. Mostly, Smith said she felt anxious about competing for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began against a crop of athletes she had never matched up with before in a new race format.

“I’ve never really run a competitive 3,000-meter before,” she said. “I usually run the two-mile, but I’m guessing if it were a two-mile, I would be at an OK spot (time-wise). I felt pretty good about it. I just went out there and raced and I ran 10:31.”

As the weekend wore on, Smith also competed in the 1,500-meter run, placing fourth in 4:51.62, and the 800-meter dash, placing third in 2:17.09.

This past year, Smith won a second straight Daily News Cross Country Runner of the Year award after placing fifth at the Class 3A state in Tallahassee with a PR time of 18:15.74. She also swept through the postseason, taking first at the Okaloosa County meet, the District 1-3A meet and the Region 1-3A meet.

Now off to a running start in her final high school season with an AAU national championship under her belt, Smith said she again has her sites set on state gold this fall, provided the season begins on time.

“I guess it all depends on when the season starts, but this year I’m hoping to stay more consistent and hopefully win state this year,” she said. “I definitely want to push my team and be a good leader and have fun and cherish every moment and work hard.”