She’s On The Fast Track

Lashinda Demus demonstrated early in life the speed and determination that make her one of the nation’s best high school track and field athletes.

“She was 7 months old and barely walking,” said her mother, Yolanda. “We were living in an apartment with concrete stairs. One time, I turned around for a few seconds and the next thing I knew, she was up nine flights.”

Demus’ climb toward the top of the track world has been steady ever since.

The Long Beach Wilson junior was named Track & Field News magazine’s female athlete of the year in 1999 after a rare display of range and versatility. She and former Oxnard Rio Mesa and Thousand Oaks standout Marion Jones are the only sophomores to win the award.

“Every time Lashinda steps on the track, she is a threat for a national record,” said Doug Speck, co-director of Saturday’s FloJo Memorial Arcadia Invitational at Citrus College.

Demus, coming off a scintillating performance two weeks ago at the Pasadena Games, will compete in the 100-meter high hurdles, 300 low hurdles and the 400 and 1,600 relays at the Arcadia meet, which annually draws some of the best talent in the United States.

Demus put herself in that class almost from the time she arrived at Wilson.

As a freshman, Demus teamed with Latrice Borders, Joni Smith and Kim Gildersleeve on Wilson’s 1,600-meter relay team. The quartet established a national record with a time of 3 minutes 36.32 seconds.

She also helped the Bruins tie Long Beach Poly for the 1998 state team championship.

Last year, Demus won the state title in the 300-meter hurdles in 40.44 seconds, establishing a national sophomore record with the third-fastest time by a high school girl. The record is 40.18, set by Leslie Maxie of Millbrae Mills in 1984.

She also ran a leg on Wilson’s state-champion 1,600 relay team and finished third in the 100 high hurdles.

Last summer, Demus was the 400-meter hurdles champion at the Pan American Junior Games and the USA Track and Field junior championships. She qualified for the upcoming Olympic trials with a time of 57.04 seconds.

“[The Olympic trials] are not always on my mind, but I do catch myself thinking about it,” Demus said. “When I do, I get nervous, so I just try to concentrate on what I have to do to be successful right now.”

Some of Demus’ speed is in her bloodline. Her mother won national championships as Yolanda Rich in the 400 meters and the sprint-medley relay at Cal State Los Angeles in 1969 and 1970.

Her mother and father, Duaine, coached an age-group track team when she was a youngster and Lashinda began competing against older children when she was 5.

“We would put her in the little 100s,” Yolanda said. “She would come in last, but you could tell she had talent.”

Said Lashinda: “When I lost, I wasn’t a poor sport. As long as I got my lollipop at the end of the race, I was happy.”

Demus discovered the joy of winning a few years later.

To build strength and endurance, Yolanda had her daughter train and compete in the 800. Lashinda still holds age-group records in the event.

“Once she got in high school, she had the endurance background so she was able to conquer just about any event,” Yolanda said.

Choosing a high school was easy for Demus.

In eighth grade, she competed in a junior meet in Idaho with many of the girls that were already running for Wilson. Though her older sister, Tania, attended Long Beach Poly and the family had moved to Palmdale when Lashinda was in seventh grade, she wanted to run for the Bruins.

Demus attends Wilson on an inter-district transfer permit. She commutes a few days a week with her father, who works in the South Bay, and stays with a relative the other days.

Working with Wilson Coach Terry Kennedy and hurdles coach Earl McCullouch--a former world-record holder in the 110-meter high hurdles--Demus has only begun to tap her potential.

“Lashinda is not a glory hound or someone who wants attention,” Kennedy said. “Some kids, all they think about is me, me, me. Lashinda doesn’t think about herself. She wants to help everyone do well.”

Demus will try to help Wilson solidify its standing as one of the contenders for the state championship when she takes to the track Saturday.

The Bruins feature several outstanding freshmen looking to Demus to show them the way.

“This is a step-up meet for us,” Demus said. “We want to show what we can do individually as well as a team.”