ABC13's Athlete of the Week: Summer Creek student has high goals for upcoming track season
· Yahoo Sports
For Summer Creek High School wheelchair athlete Marquez Barnes, his goals this track season are clear.
"The goal this year is to win," Barnes said. "That's the goal, it's just that simple."
Visit livefromquarantine.club for more information.
If you know anything about Marquez, you'll know he's built different.
"He's the hardest working young man that we have in our program, and it's not even close," Summer Creek head Track Coach Shelton Ervin said. "Very driven, very motivated, he has so many things that he can complain about, but he doesn't (complain). He's committed, so he's all in."
He put in the work and it's paying off. When he puts his mind to something; consider it done.
"I knew I needed to lose the weight to get fast, and that's what I did," Barnes said.
You could see his commitment in the change just by his appearance if you compare what he looks like last year to now.
"He's slimmed up, got stronger in the weight room, he lost 65 pounds from last year," Summer Creek assistant track coach Dr. Dwight Smith said. "Yeah, he lost 65 pounds from last year."
When asked if he feels the benefits from the weight loss, Barnes responded, "Yeah, I feel it. I feel it. I really do."
He finished sixth in the 100m and 400m race last year at state. In the shot putt, he was fourth, so far this season with his weight loss and commitment to his craft, he's recording his best times, ever.
"I've got to be able to get fast enough for my short distance and then I have to have the endurance for my long distance," Barnes said. "So it's a mix of both and lifting. I've got to lift to get stronger for shot putt and just to be able to push hard."
What makes his accomplishments more incredible, is he competes in a chair that is not fit for his body and heavy.
"This is a training bike, so I'm doing very good from where I'm at and what I have," Barnes said.
"We're appreciative of the chair that he does have and the program that donates it to him, but if he's really going to make the next step, he's going to have to get a custom-fit chair and a chair that's a lot lighter when it comes to performance," Coach Ervin said.
"That way he can be the best version of himself."