Someone should warn Usain Bolt to watch his back because Moorestown resident Brandon Outlaw has put together an impressive resume for someone who is only 14 years old.
Outlaw recently competed in the AAU National Junior Olympics Track Meet in Detroit, Mich., and came home a little heavier as he was sporting four medals, one of them gold.
The track meet took place from July 27 through Aug. 3. Brandon ran for the Philadelphia-based team Athlete’s Academy, coached by Kenroy Wallace. His plan going in was to compete in four events. His results impressed even his parents.
“He medaled in every event that he competed in. Not too bad, four medals in four events,” his mother Linda said.
Brandon ran the 400-meter dash in a time of 51.6 seconds, good for a fourth-place medal. He took fifth in the 800-meter with a time of 2:04. Brandon is the anchor leg on both of his relay teams and won a fourth-place medal in the 4×400 meter relay with a time of 3:36. His biggest accomplishment was his 4×800 meter relay when his team took home the gold with a time of 8:38.
This makes Brandon a 12-time Jr. Olympic medalist in track since his first Jr. Olympic track meet at the age of 8.
“We’re just real proud of him. It’s such a tough thing to do, but, to have won as much as he has with as young as he is, is great,” his father Bufus said. “There is a lot of pressure on these kids. They’re running in a stadium, there are thousands of people yelling and screaming in the stands. The atmosphere is really wild. It’s really a tough thing for any kid to compete in. There are runners from all across the country.”
Brandon’s drive to compete is well documented and not limited to just between the painted lines.
“He’s very competitive in everything that he does. Doesn’t matter if it’s just a conversation, Brandon is going to try to win,” Linda said.
Brandon’s coach Kenroy Wallace echoed that sentiment.
“Brandon is the hardest-working young man I have ever been around. That includes my high school kids and college kids. He outworks everyone, you know that he will always go out and give 150 percent,” Wallace said.
Competing on the big stage has become old hat for Brandon, which is a big difference from his first Olympics at age 8.
“I remember the first year he competed as an 8 year old. He’s on the medal stand but he’s crying because it was the first time he had lost a race in his life. He’d only run against local people so he’d never raced against this level of competition,” Bufus said.
That also provided the moment when the Outlaws realized that Brandon might be a special type of athlete.
“I’d say when he got his first medal as an 8 year old in his first year competing is when we knew,” Linda said with a laugh.
Wallace agreed that Brandon is destined for bigger races and bigger accolades down the road.
“No other runner I’ve ever had accomplished what he did, winning four medals in four events. He just has a winning spirit, he’s destined for success in whatever he decides to do,” Wallace said. “He puts me in awe every time I watch him run. I’m his coach, but I’m also his biggest fan aside from his parents.”
But track star isn’t enough for Brandon; he is already attending football camp in preparation for his freshman year at St. Augustine Preparatory School.
“He’s a great athlete. He loves track but he loves playing football,” Linda said. “He’s excited to have the opportunity to play for St. Augustine.”
