Trinity Lavant seems like a typical 16-year-old Claxton High School junior. She loves her family, friends, and sports. However, Lavant is anything but typical; she is a track and field Junior Olympic finalist. Lavant, with the help of her mom and dad, Eisha and Chris Oglesby, finished seventh in the nation for the triple jump.
Lavant, who has been running track since she was nine years old, found her passion for track as a freshman. She was playing basketball in addition during her first year of high school, but eventually shifted her focus to track and field.
“My ninth grade year I went to state for the first time for school track and it was pretty fun, and then my sophomore year, when I realized I actually had a lot of potential in track, I started taking it more seriously,” she shared.
She went to state championships again in her sophomore year, and began additional workouts with her dad, Chris, who is also her coach at school and at home.
“At nine years old when she started running track, she was half an inch from making it to the Junior Olympics at nine doing the long jump. She kind of surprised me; I knew she would be a good track athlete, but it was kind of surprising to see a freshman setting school records, finishing in the top eight as a state finalist in two events,” dad Chris says. “In tenth grade, she really had a breakout season. We had some goals set for the year: 38’ in triple jump and 18’ in long jump. She reached each one of those goals early in the season.”
In preparation for her Junior Olympics goal, Lavant attended more practice meets and state and regional meets. She also trained with Coach Carl Lovett and All-4-One Track Club.
Weekends have been spent going on runs, practicing jumping, or lifting in the weight room. The summer heat intensified the training, but this did not deter Lavant. She worked hard, made it through district and regional meets, and finished in the top six, which qualified her for the Junior Olympics in Iowa. Lavant says the experience made her even more committed to her sport of choice.
“When I went to the Junior Olympics, I realized that track is really my favorite thing to do,” she said.
Out of hundreds of competitors, Lavant finished seventh in the nation, cementing her title as an All-American athlete.
Trinity’s mom, Eisha, is proud of her daughter and eager to see what the future holds for her. “I’m just here to support her and push her along. I’m excited about her journey and the things she’s doing. I’m happy she got her mind set on a certain sport, and she’s willing to work hard at it. I’m very proud of her.”
Early in Lavant’s life, her parents were told by doctors they were uncertain that she would walk. There was talk about having to wear braces, but the Oglesbys put faith over fear.
Eisha says, “We prayed about those things and God healed her, and now she’s doing what she loves to do, running track . . . who knew she was going to use her legs for something great like this?”
In addition to possibly exploring indoor track, Lavant has a campus visit scheduled with West Point, and is already setting new goals for the upcoming school year.
“I’m going to try to win State this time and do different things in track, more running events and things besides jumping to see what I would be good at.”
Lavant has a word of encouragement for young children who someday hope to follow in her footsteps: “You have to have a strong mindset. Do something that you love. Stick to it, and get better every day. You have to be confident when you do it; you have to believe in yourself.”
