Gray’s Creek Alum Quanera Hayes Qualifies for Tokyo Olympics
There’s fast, and then there’s Olympic fast. Gray’s Creek High School alum Quanera Hayes is the latter, as she has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, after winning the women’s 400m…
Quanera Hayes celebrates with her son Demetrius after finishing first in the Women’s 400 Meters Final at the U.S. Track and Field trials. Find out more about the Gray’s Creek graduate’s Olympic schedule below.
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty ImagesThere's fast, and then there's Olympic fast. Gray's Creek High School alum Quanera Hayes is the latter, as she has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, after winning the women's 400m final at the U.S. Olympic trials Sunday in Eugene, Oregon.
Hayes took first in the signature track event, beating out legendary six-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Allyson Felix in the finals. Felix has won nine Olympic medals overall, though just one of those was in the 400m, a silver at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.
Hayes and Felix shared a touching moment after the race, as both women are mothers of 2-year-olds. The two little ones came together for a sweet hug on the track to celebrate the Olympic journey for both women.
Hayes is a 2010 Gray's Creek graduate, and Hope Mills native. The Tokyo Olympics had been scheduled for 2020, but were rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Women's 400m first round is scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, with the finals set for Friday, August 6. The Olympic Games will be overall held from July 23 to August 8.
