COLUMBUS — Liberty’s TJ Lichter’s Superman extension may have been the difference between being a state champion or runner-up.
The junior Patriot cut the tape in 13.92 seconds, earning the Division I boys 110-meter hurdles state title at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Sunday.
Lichter narrowly edged out Wayne junior Keng Martin’s 13.97-second run to seal the deal. He also beat out fellow Olentangy school district runner Miles King, who placed fifth in the event and went on to win the Division I boys 300-meter hurdles state title later in the day.
Taking off out of Lane 4, Lichter had the fastest prelim time, a 14.16-second run, coming into the championship race.
Winning a state title without topping your personal best means something, especially when the third, fourth, and fifth-place finishers all ran their fastest times.
But being the top dog in the 110-meter hurdles isn’t out of the ordinary for Lichter.
Not counting his prelim and championship dashes at the state meet, he claimed the top spot eight other times this season.
With one more year of high school track still ahead of him, Lichter will look to build on his big win, shatter his 13.89-second personal best time he set at this year’s regional meet — and, of course, repeat as a state champ.
Photos credited to Jack Slemenda / Delaware Source.
