Youth sprinter off to National Junior Olympics

Dallas Cortez will get the chance to compete against some of the best youth track and field athletes in the country.

Cortez, an 11-year-old resident who attended Bret Harte Elementry School and Luther Burbank Middle School, will take part in the 2011 Ameteur Athletic Union Junior National Olympics Monday through Aug. 6 in New Orleans.

Cortez will compete in the boys’ 100-, 200- and 400-meter events.

Last month, Cortez won gold medals in all three events at the AAU Junior Olympics Qualifier in Tulare.

Cortez plans to attend Village Christian School in the fall.