‘It was beautiful’: Deron Dudley represents Wichita in prestigious USA track meet
Following the best track performance of his life, Deron Dudley is more concerned about what it can do for his hometown than his own personal achievement.
The Wichita native recently turned heads with a career-best time of 6.62 seconds in the 60-meter dash to place seventh at the USATF Indoor Championships in Staten Island, N.Y. on Feb. 23.
Not only did he run his best time at the most prestigious meet, but he also raced against an Olympian, stayed in New York City and saw his name — and hometown — prominently displayed on NBC’s national broadcast.
It was a surreal experience for the 2019 South graduate, but one he hopes can inspire the next generation of sprinters in Wichita.
“Throughout my entire career, I’ve always wanted to put Wichita on the map for track and field,” Dudley said. “I know we’re known more for basketball and football, but we have the talent in track. We just need the resources to help them and push for them to get opportunities to showcase their abilities. I’m glad I got this chance to represent Wichita. It was beautiful, man.”
Giving back to his community has been on Dudley’s mind a lot lately following the passing of his former sprints coach, John Thompson, considered a legend in the world of Wichita youth sports for his work in track and field.
With the help of Thompson’s tutelage, Dudley became a 5-time state champion sprinter at South, including back-to-back Class 6A titles in the 100-meter dash, and earned a Division I scholarship to compete for High Point. Following a successful 4-year career, Dudley is now a graduate student competing in the SEC at the University of Tennessee.
“Coach JT helped get me to where I’m at now, man,” Dudley said. “I owe so much to him. Without him and his knowledge and guidance, I don’t know where I would be in track and field. He was the guy who pushed me and guided me and I was very blessed to have him in my life. That’s why I hope having my hometown Wichita on national television, that might inspire someone else. If you put forth the effort and strive for more, you can honestly do anything you put your mind to.”
Dudley’s rapid improvement in the 60-meter dash is a prime example of that kind of work ethic. He has spent most of this indoor season training instead of competing, a process that has paid dividends with him cutting a tenth of a second off his time in the short sprint.
That improvement convinced his coaches at Tennessee to enter him in the field at the USATF Indoor Championships. In a field of more than 20 sprinters, Dudley qualified for the televised finals.
“I actually have always had a hard time believing in myself, but talking to my family and my support system really helped,” Dudley said. “They just kept telling me, ‘Why not you? Why can’t you be that guy?’ So I just kept repeating that in my head, ‘Why not me?’ and that’s what helped me through that race and be a finalist in one of the biggest meets in the world.”
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