The Miami SOL is very proud to honor a versatile sprinter who has been called the “future of track and field in the United States” as its eighth SHERO of the season.

Sanya Richards, who recently graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High, has established herself as one of the brightest new track stars in the country. Ranked number one in the state in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, Sanya holds ten career state titles and has also shattered several records along the way.

She broke the national high school outdoor record in the 400 meters at the USA Track and Field Junior National Championship in June – becoming the first track athlete from Broward County to break a national high school record. In addition, the Pembroke Pines teenager is the first female high school sprinter to ever be ranked on the nation’s top 15 all-time high school list in the 100, 200, and 400 events.

Born in Jamaica, Sanya, who will attend the University of Texas in the fall, was recently granted U.S. citizenship and will represent Team USA at the World Junior Track Championships later this month. Her dream is to one day run for her newly adopted country in the Olympics – something that she has proven to be well within her reach.