Chandy is doing dandy for Sage

Rick Devereux

One of the most remarkable achievements in the summer Olympics was

Michael Johnson winning the gold medal in the 200- and 400-meter

races in Atlanta in 1996.

Zach Chandy has an opportunity to make that feat look pale in

comparison to what the Sage Hill School junior can accomplish at the

Academy League track and field finals today.

Chandy qualified for the 100, 200, 400 and 800 at the

preliminaries last week to earn Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week

honors.

“The big challenge is the 400, 800 and 100 are within 20 minutes

of each other,” Coach Nate Miller said. “It’s going to be a tough

series of events for him.”

And Olympic organizers juggled schedules so Johnson could compete

on three days rest.

“There’s not going to be a lot of time for resting,” Chandy said.

“I haven’t set any goals yet. I’m hoping to run well. I don’t have

any goals to win. I’m going to use the meet mostly as practice for

upcoming heats.”

The upcoming heats Chandy is referring to is the CIF Southern

Section Division IV prelims at Gahr High next Saturday.

This is the first year Chandy has ran the 800. He was second in

Division IV in the 200 and 400 last year, but Miller is trying to put

Chandy in the events he has the best chances of running in the

future.

“He will probably run the 800 in college,” Miller said. “He’s got

the build for that race. I’m trying to focus him on the 400 and 800.”

Chandy has experience running longer races. He took third in

league in cross country.

“That’s a different kind of running,” Chandy said of the

three-mile cross country course. “The 800 has really become more of

sprint now. You have to learn to tolerate the lactic acid.”

Miller said cross country has helped Chandy adjust to the 800.

“Track is his specialty, but he did cross country the last three

years,” Miller said. “[Cross country] helps his conditioning, for

sure. It gives him a nice base when he moves up to 800 for running

longer races. But he was not nearly at the top level at cross country

as he is at track and field.”

Chandy showcased the top level he is at in track at the Orange

County Championships April 23 when he won the 400 in 48.10. His time

was .01 off the meet record of 48.09 set in 1996 by Garden Grove’s

Kevin Griswold.

“I was pretty happy about that,” Chandy said. “I wanted to win and

I was happy with my time.”

But Chandy is more than just a runner.

“He could do the long jump. He would be one of the best in the 300

hurdles. He could be on the relay teams,” Miller said. “He is a great

all-around athlete and his speed is at the core of his athleticism.”

Chandy did not advance to the state meet after the Division IV

finals last year because runners in other divisions qualified ahead

of him, a fact that helps drive him to improve.

“[Not making it to the state meet] did motivate me,” he said. “I

know there are a lot of fast kids in Orange County and L.A. I’m not

too worried about the bragging rights in Orange County. I am worried

about being the fastest in L.A.”