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Kendall County Prep Sports

Record Newspapers Athlete of the Week: Armoney Clay, Plano, track and field, senior

Plano senior Armoney Clay

Name: Armoney Clay

School: Plano, senior

Sport: Track and field

Why she was selected: Clay won the 100-meter dash, took second in the 200 and was part of Plano’s winning 4x100 and 4x200 relays at the Interstate 8 Conference meet. She was chosen as the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is her interview with Joshua Welge.

Welge: How did you feel about how you ran at conference?

Clay: I felt like I ran OK. I didn’t get a personal PR, but my team got a PR on the 4x100 relay. I’m happy that we ran our best. There is nothing much else you can ask for.

Welge: You’ve won seven conference medals the past two years, which seems crazy to think about. What are your thoughts when you hear that?

Clay: I don’t even count how many I have. When I get my medals, I just put them up in my room. When I heard that I got seven over the last two years, that is crazy to hear. But really after I get a medal, to me it’s on to the next race.

Welge: How much does having another great sprinter like Favour [Amakari] help you?

Clay: It makes me feel great and a proud teammate. We push each other. I pushed her to PR in the 200. We just push each other and it makes me really happy. We have pushed each other all season.

Welge: How did you get started in track?

Clay: At first, I was a cross country runner before I became a sprinter. My cross country coach told me I was a little too fast to be a cross country runner. When I came to Plano, I tried out for track as a sprinter, that’s how I got started.

Welge: Have you played any other sports?

Clay: I did volleyball at Plano and at my old school. I also did gymnastics and tumbling.

Welge: What do you feel is your best race?

Clay: Everybody knows the 100 is my race. I can do the 200, but it’s not my comfort zone. I just do the 200 for training. The 100 is my home.

Welge: What’s the key to a good 100 race?

Clay: The key is to have a great block start, build momentum, get up to speed and keep it.

Welge: Where did you get your speed from?

Clay: My dad’s side of the family ran track. It’s just genetics, to be honest.

Welge: What are your plans beyond high school?

Clay: I’ll be majoring in special education at Marian University in Indianapolis and continuing my track career.

Joshua  Welge

Joshua Welge

I am the Sports Editor for Kendall County Newspapers, the Kane County Chronicle and Suburban Life Media, covering primarily sports in Kendall, Kane, DuPage and western Cook counties. I've been covering high school sports for 24 years. I also assist with our news coverage.