COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – Columbus fourth-grader Adriana Alexander is right on “track” to fulfill her Olympic dreams. The young runner earned the bronze medal at the AAU Junior Olympic Games. 

WRBL met Alexander last summer. As the world had its eyes on the Tokyo Olympic Games, Alexander was wide-eyed and dreaming of one day being among the world’s greatest athletes. 

Last week, at 9-years-old, she clinched the bronze medal for the 100-meter dash.

She blazed through pre-lims, semi-finals and finals. Meanwhile, her parents watched anxiously from the stands. 

“It was the best of the best at the Junior Olympics,” mother, Ashley Alexander, said. “When it got down to the 100M I didn’t even know that I was going to be the way that I was… I thought I was about to fall out of my skin when she ran that race. I was so excited that she made top three.”

Out of 115 runners, she secured a podium position. Alexander trains with the West Georgia Jets, a youth track team based in the Tri-City area.  As she accepted her new hardware, she represented more than just herself.

“To me that’s a huge accomplishment coming from the city of Columbus, Georgia… you know where track and field is not really a heavy sport,” father, Darius Alexander, said. “We’re more of a football heavy sport down here for her to catch that love and nationally rank it just means a lot.”

In 2028, we may see a girl with red glasses earning Olympic Gold. 

Until then…  Alexander is just trying to get through fourth grade.