Meet Philippi DeLeon, a senior track hurdler on the El Rancho track team. This season, DeLeon has one big goal that would make the school go crazy: to break the school record for the fastest 110-meter hurdles time of 15.64 seconds. To gain a deeper understanding of his motivation and preparation, I interviewed him to gain insight into his training and what it takes to achieve that goal.
Training plays a big role in DeLeon’s pursuit of the record. A typical training day is focused on building both speed and technical precision over the hurdles.
“A training day for me is usually a couple hurdle reps over six hurdles, focusing on technique and speed,” DeLeon said.
DeLeaon revealed to me that one of the biggest challenges he faces while training is his height factor. Because of that, executing the race with a clean technique is essential.
“The hardest part of training for this record is my height because I need perfect technique and speed to even be able to three-step efficiently,” he explained.
To overcome this challenge, DeLeon told me he’s been focusing more on refining the small details of his race.
“I’ve made sure to do more quality reps and focus way more on perfecting everything about my technique over the hurdles and my sprinting mechanics,” he said.
Preparation for a big race isn’t only physical, it’s mental game as well. Before stepping onto the track, DeLeon makes sure he is in the right mindset.
“My mental routine before a big race is to listen to some music that motivates me and believe in a positive outcome, even if the race doesn’t go perfectly,” DeLeon said.
His training approach has also evolved throughout his high school career.
“My training has changed this season compared to previous years because I was first learning very basic technique, but now, since I’m more advanced, I’m trying to fix little errors in my form and really perfect it,” he said.
As a senior with years of experience in the event, DeLeon also has advice for younger athletes who want to improve their hurdling.
“One piece of advice I would give to younger hurdlers is to get your steps to the first hurdle perfect and keep everything in between at five steps or better,” he said. “Once they know they can run through full speed and rely on rhythm, they can start fixing their form if it’s off.” With consistent training, attention to detail, and a strong mindset, DeLeon is determined to chase the school record and finish his senior season on a high note
