Hard work pays off for Moses Lake hurdler Abonyi

MOSES LAKE — Obiomachi Abonyi said it was the months of hard work leading up to the district meet, not what she did during the 300-meter hurdles itself, that allowed her to set a personal best and qualify for the Class 4A state meet at Mount Tahoma High School.

“My goal is just to do my best because I know that I’m just very blessed to have made it at all because I was ranked fourth in the league,” she said. “So, going into the district meet ranked fourth and then coming out with that second place spot I felt really fortunate. If I just go out there at state and just do my best, I won’t have any complaints.”

Abonyi steadily improved throughout the season, but still needed to overtake two girls to earn a trip to Mount Tahoma. On the home stretch of the district race, Abonyi pushed past Emilee Groth of Wenatchee to clock in at 47.20 seconds — a personal record — and take second place.

That last burst came after months of training and some extra conditioning due to cross country in the fall.

“I have a really slow start, but the ending — the last 100 meters, right here — is where I have a really strong finish,” Abonyi said.

Suddenly, those three-a-day workouts didn’t seem so bad.

“I had a goal to make it to state and I started training,” Abonyi said. “I would work out three times a day and try to do extra just to get myself ready and I feel like I was eventually mentally ready — my body was always there — but I eventually got mentally ready and I accepted the fact that if I did not make it to state it was God’s will.

“I’m not going to be mad at anybody and it’s just going to be OK.”

Abonyi turned out more than OK. Now, she turns to the state meet, which begins on Thursday.

Abonyi is scheduled to run in the second of two heats during the 300-meter hurdles preliminaries.

At this point in the season, everyone is fast. Success at the state meet comes with keeping nerves in check.

“I’ve been told to just treat it like a regular small meet,” Abonyi said. “Don’t let the bigness of it get to your head because then that might undermine your race and I think that’s key because, honestly, every track is the same distance. The only thing that’s different is the people right next to you and if you let that get in your head then that might mess you up.”