YORK — Gunner Hammett remembers little of his early childhood when he battled chronic respiratory illness and asthma. The 11-year-old from York County is more interested in looking forward to possible Olympics glory than back to his childhood trauma.
Although the greatest stage in the world for athletes remains a distant dream, the young runner’s recent performances have left him eying the Olympics in his future.
The student from Queens Lake Middle School returned from the AAU Junior Olympics at Drake University in Iowa this summer clutching three national records for his age group as well as gold medals in the 200, 400 and 800-meter events. Gunner broke his own world record in the 800 meters.
Gunner clocked 2:07.45 in the 800 meters, smashing the record of 2:09.38 he set on Father’s Day at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia.
“Many are calling this one of the greatest performances of all time by any age group,” said Gunner’s biggest supporter and trainer, his father, Clinton Hammett. Although he has few doubts about his son’s abilities, he said Gunner confounded him in the 200 meters.
“The biggest surprise was the 200 meters because in 2019 he was too slow to qualify in that event,” Hammett said. “In 2021, he qualified but never made it out of the first of three rounds.”
The Williamsburg-area middle schooler has been leaving the competition far behind for the last few years. In 2022, when he represented Virginia in the Junior Olympics in Greensboro, North Carolina, Gunner won gold medals and became a national champion in the 400, 800 and 4×400 relay events. It was a far cry from 2019 when he ended up in 56th place in the 800 meters.
Clinton Hammett never imagined track glory for his son in his early years when he struggled with illness, but recognized his will to win. “He is an overcomer having been diagnosed with chronic respiratory illness and asthma as a small child,” he said. “Up until he was 3 or so, we had him on a nebulizer and constant breathing treatment to make sure his lungs were cleared out. We are thankful that he was able to overcome that. He’s a fighter.”
Gunner spends little time thinking about the past and doesn’t remember having asthma. He is proud, he said, of his accomplishments and is already looking to his future.
“My family keeps me motivated,” he said. “I want to make it to the Olympics some day.”
The preteen faces a grueling regime to remain ahead of the competition. He trains three days a week after school and does push-ups and crunches on nontraining days. He’s not on an athletic team at present, but his family is his team, according to his father.
Gunner’s mother, Symone, takes him to tracks at colleges or high schools in Newport News after school to train with his dad. They get home at 8:30 p.m.
“He enjoys a challenge,” Clinton Hammett said. “The secret of his success is he is extremely determined and he enjoys what he is doing. You have to find an appreciation for it. For him to do that by himself without a track team and to learn to run against the clock. It’s literally me, him and the clock that he’s running against on a daily basis.”
Hammett praises his son’s attitude off the track, as well. “We are people of faith,” he said. “The good Lord would never steer us in the wrong direction and has provided a platform for him to showcase his ability and give folks hope that they can get there, too, if they work hard.”
He described a moment after Gunner broke the world record. “An athlete was crying and having trouble getting up. Gunner went over and helped the athlete up. That was very touching,” Hammett said.
Gunner has lost count of how many gold medals he holds. By his father’s count, Gunner is a world record holder, a five-time national record holder, was voted an MVP of the Junior Olympics, is 18 times All-American and a nine-time national champion.
Gunner is already attracting attention on social media as his performances appear on YouTube. His father firmly believe Gunner has a shot at the Olympics one day.
Why? “He’s driven.”
David Macaulay, [email protected]
