It's her fifth Gatorade trophy in all, making her the winningest high school athlete of all time.
Katelyn Tuohy is no stranger to the Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award. It's the third straight year she's won.
In fact, it's her fifth Gatorade trophy in all, making her the winningest high school athlete of all time. In addition to the Cross Country Runner of the Year awards, she's won the 2017-18 Gatorade National Track & Field Athlete of the Year and 2018 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year.
Tuohy is no stranger to recognition. Besides winning countless other national and local accolades, she also adorned the cover of Sports Illustrated
as just a sophomore in high school.Simply put, she's America's fastest girl.
Sports Illustrated briefly chatted with Tuohy on Thursday. The following Q&A has been edited for clarity.
Sports Illustrated: How does it feel to have won the award?
Katelyn Tuohy: It's really exciting. I was surprised that all my friends, family and teammates were here. It meant a lot.
SI: Who all was there to help celebrate?
KT: All my teammates. My friend, my family. They were all waiting in a room and I walked in and they shot confetti cannons and gave me the award.
SI: What was your first reaction?
KT: First, I was kind of scared since I heard the pop of the confetti. But after that I was just really excited.
SI: What were you expecting instead?
KT: We had our section championship yesterday so I thought it was just our team meeting where we hand out medals and reflect on our performances. It was a surprise.
SI: How does this compare to other awards you've won?
KT: Most of the awards I've won have dealt with running or school but this award has three pillars where they recognize your character, academic performance and athletic achievements. It's really cool being acknowledged for all three.
SI: Does this one mean more or less than any of the other Gatorade awards you've won?
KT: They all mean a lot to me. Every one I've won in the past, it motivates me to win one again the next year. It's an honor to be named and have your name written on the trophy with all these different athletes that also won it in high school.
SI: When did you know that you were fast?
KT: I'm not sure. When I was in seventh grade I was brought up to the high school team so, I guess that was the first time when I was like, 'Oh, I guess I'm kind of fast.' My sophomore year is when I started breaking records and being the big news in the track world so I guess my sophomore year was my breakthrough year and when I realized that I was one of the best in the country.
SI: How are you preparing for the Olympic trials right now?
KT: I'm kind of just doing what I've been doing the last couple years, racing the same meets. I think just to keep doing what I'm doing.
SI: What would being in Tokyo in 2020 mean for you?
KT: I don't really know. [Laughter] It'd be really cool but I'm not really expecting to go.
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