PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — South Walton’s Jonah Kirspel won his second consecutive state title in the boys’ 800-meter dash in his junior season.
“Cutting time down and winning is probably my two favorite things right now,” Kirspel said.
Kirspel started running in eighth grade, placing second in state competition after only three weeks in the sport. He had to skip the track and field season his freshman year due to injury.
As a sophomore, in his first high school season, he became a state champion with a personal record time of 1:54.
“I was so happy, I didn’t really know what to think,” Kirspel said. “If I could relive the moment, I would.”
A year later, he did it again, but it wasn’t without adversity.
“I ended up losing my coach at the beginning of cross-country season, so I was kind of like disappointed,” Kirspel said. “So going into track season, I was like, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do the same thing as I did last year without like the same coach I had.”
With a whole another year ahead of him, Kirspel already has his goals for his senior season set.
“I want to make sure I’m the fastest in Florida,” Kirspel said.
Kirspel has a busy summer ahead. He will be competing in the New Balance Nationals and the USA Track and Field Under 20 Championship in Oregon.
