* Red Mountain senior Yan Vazquez in the 300mH at The 2022 Nike Chandler Rotary Invitational
Photo Credit: Arizona MileSplit
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By Logan Stanley - Arizona MileSplit
The story of one of the most successful hurdlers at the high school level here in the state of Arizona actually begins in struggle. Yan Vazquez, a senior from Red Mountain High School, is currently No. 2 in the United States for the 300mH with his time of 36.40. Vazquez is painstakingly close to breaking Brophy Prep Robert Grant's state record from 2014 in the event, only needing 0.17 seconds to officially cement his name in history.
He has also ran 14.04 in the 110mH and clocked 49.11 in the 400m this season. Oh, and he can high jump 6-8. This season, Vazquez won the 300mH both at the Arcadia Invitational (beating the field by 1.14 seconds) and the Mt. Sac Relays (setting a new meet record in the process) -- in back to back weeks. In the fall, Vazquez will be enrolling into UCLA and competing on the track and field team.
But it wasn't always this glamorous for him.
The 100m and 200m were the first events the then nine-year-old Vazquez signed up for. Yan had been tagging along with his father, Jayson, as he trained for USA Track and Field Master's (30 years or older) races and wanted to finally join.
"Just watching my dad, it was fun because I was young," Yan said. "Seeing him race and compete with other people was cool and inspiring. So, I just wanted to do the same."
His father Jayson started running track himself as a freshman in upstate New York at Amsterdam High School back in the 1990s. He was first a sprinter before switching up to hurdles as a sophomore. Jayson turned into a top hurdler before enrolling into the University of Albany and running there. He eventually ended up competing for the Puerto Rico national team. Following his athletic career, Jayson became a coach at the same university he competed for.
When Yan first started out in the sprints, things were not going well. It became apparent that a change was needed quickly. Soon, it was decided that a move up in the distance would be better -- 800 meters to be exact.
In that first 800m, Yan went all out for the first 300 meters -- a sign of things to come -- as the youngster had never been in a distance race before. But despite the miscalculation, he still held on to win the race.
"I remember him saying, 'This is the hardest thing I ever did, but I want to do it again," Jayson said. "Because he liked the feeling of winning and coming back to the stands, and everybody congratulating him [...] That just kind of set that tone to keep racing."
For the first few years of Yan's track career, he wasn't allowed to compete in the hurdles due to his age. In the meantime, though, he developed himself into a solid 800m runner, running 2:38.20 at age 11. He made it to the Junior Olympic Nationals in the event on multiple occasions. As soon as he was allowed to do the hurdles at 11 years old though, Yan immediately took the opportunity up. He had been waiting for this moment.
"I always wanted to do the hurdles," Yan said. "It looked like a super fun event, jumping over and running. It just caught my eye when I was younger."
Slowly but surely, Vazquez made his way up the ranks in the hurdles as learned the techniques of the disciple.
Having a father with decades worth of experience in hurdling who also doubles as a coach helps, too.
"It's been really nice because he's super easy to talk to," Yan said. "And then if I need anything -- we're super close and understanding of each other, so we hardly ever get into fights. I just do what I need to do, and it's just nice. He understands what the process is and what you exactly need to do. So it's not like I'm lost or going into it blind."
Yan still competed in the 800m while learning the hurdles in his middle school days. Because of this unique ability, the pentathlon became a perfect training ground. And this is where he fell in love with the high jump, forming the basis of Yan's versatility.
This season, Yan is the only hurdler in the nation who has broken 37 seconds in the 300mH and jumped over 6-7 in the high jump. It's not really close, either. The next fastest hurdler, St. Mary's Stockton senior (and future UCLA teammate) Jadyn Marshall, has only jumped 5-4.
And the next closest high jumper, Cedar Park junior Nicholas Grullon, has run 38.43 in the 300mH.
Top 2022 300mH and High Jump
| ATHLETE | 300MH | HIGH JUMP |
|---|---|---|
| Yan Vazquez - Red Mountain High School | 36.40 | 6-8 |
| Jadyn Marshall - St. Mary's Stockton (SJ) | 36.73 | 5-4 |
| Patrick Daves - Bayside Academy | 37.09 | 6-2 |
| SHANE GARDNER - Richmond George Ranch | 37.36 | 6-2 |
| Vinny Anthony - Male | 38.02 | 6-4 |
| Luke Herring - Dallas Highland Park | 38.05 | 6-1 |
| Nicholas Grullon - Cedar Park | 38.43 | 6-9.75 |
| Canaan Fairley - San Antonio Johnson | 38.43 | 6-4 |
| Yougendy Mauricette - Sussex Technical High School | 38.43 | 6-0 |
| James Patrick - Franklin High School | 38.49 | 6-2 |
| Kenyon Parker - Texas City | 38.50 | 6-8 |
| Carson Groves - Muhlenberg County | 38.54 | 5-10 |
Historically, it's rare to see someone record marks like Yan has. Only six high schoolers have ever run 36.40 or faster in the 300mH and cleared 6-4 in the high jump, per the MileSplit database.
"I know that as an athlete, you're built a certain way," Jayson said. "You either have fast-twitch muscles, in-between or slow-twitch. And we just wanted to figure out what he was, and we noticed that he's in that in-between."
"He can be -- at least from what I've seen -- pretty good between the 300 [meters], and I would say if there was a 600 meter, 800 meters. Because he's not the fastest in the 100 [meters], and all those pure speed, but he can hold whatever he has and doesn't break down as much. So [...] 300 and 400 is where I think his forte [is]."
Jayson has been coaching Yan since the very first day, so you'll be hard-pressed to find someone who knows him better. It has been a delicate balance for Jayson, knowing the potential for stardom for his son, but also knowing the risks of overbearing sports coaches and parents.
In this case, Jayson is in both roles.
"I try to let him be a kid, too," Jayson said. "I just look at it how I wish it was for me."
It's a reason why, despite being in the sport since he was nine years old, Yan still is deeply passionate about track and field.
He could have very easily been burnt out by this age after competing for a club and his school. But he's not, and he's ready to go after some fast times as spring comes to a close with summer on the horizon.
First, the goal is to set a new state record in the 300mH and also take home first in the 100mH at the AIA Outdoor State Track and Field Championships in early May. Vazquez is the favorite in both races.
Next up will be the Great Southwest Classic held in New Mexico in early June, and then Nike Outdoor Nationals.
Following that will be the USATF Youth National Championships in New York, and the USATF Junior Olympic Championships in Sacramento in late July. Right after that are the World U20 Championships in Colombia, where Yan hopes to be competing for Puerto Rico in the 400m hurdles.
"I'm excited," Yan said. "I want to be able to race against all these other different types of people."