Carter Gordy, State As A Soph, Jr Injury, And Senior Return

Carter Gordy leads the boys 1,600m at the 2021 UIL 5A state track meet


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In 2021, Montgomery Lake Creek distance runner, Carter Gordy was just an unassuming and reserved young sophomore. He had just finished 12th at the state cross country meet , just missing the awards podium; during the track season, he was getting better by the meet. . . . by the race.

He qualified for the UIL 5A state meet in both the 1,600m and the 3,200m races. In the 3,200m, he ran to a fourth place finish, again just missing out on the awards stand. By the time the 1,600m finals rolled around on that Friday evening, Gordy's self-effacing and modesty all went away in the way he ran. The youngest runner in the field and the least experienced on the big stage took the lead, pushed the pace, and dared the upperclassmen and six future division one collegiate runners to run with him.

Perhaps it was strength or experience that took over in the final 150m, but even though Gordy would not falter, five of the other runners would press ahead with him just over two seconds behind the eventual winner, Walker St. John.

From there, the sky was the limit. A sophomore who just ran like he was already a star, like he belonged, and like he had been there before had two years waiting for him and giving him the opportunity to show that he was the best runner in the state of Texas.

Things didn't pan out that way. An injury would affect Gordy's junior cross country season and require him to sit out his entire junior track and field season. Doctors cleared him to get back to training days before his senior track and field season would begin.

As Gordy heads into his senior track season, he talked to MileSplit about his journey, how he handled it, and what he has planned for his senior year.