SEATTLE — Jaicieonna Gero-Holt has won six state titles and has a chance to win four more this week. And while she said competing at the state championships is a big deal, Gero-Holt has even bigger dreams.
From the hurdles to the high jump, shot put to the long jump, 17-year-old Gero-Holt can do it all on the track.
"Honestly, it kind of makes me feel a little bit like a superhero because I'm like, 'I can do all that,'" Gero-Holt said. "I don't know how, but I can."
Her best event is the high jump. At this year's indoor championships, she cleared a personal best of 6.2 feet, the fourth-best jump in high school history and the fourth-best jump in the U.S. this year.
"For a split second, I think every high jumper can understand this for a split second," Gero-Holt said. "When you're in the air getting ready to clear the bar. It's like you're flying, and you could just keep going up and up forever. And that split-second feeling is like everything, at least for me."
But Gero-Holt is not just a jumper. She's a threat to make the Olympic team in the heptathlon. That's seven events.
"So, that's 100 hurdles, high jump, shot put, the 200 the first day, and then you come back and do the long jump Javelin and 800," Gero-Holt said.
As a freshman, Gero-Holt set a national ninth-grade record in the heptathlon.
Last year, she set a sophomore class record and finished second at the U20 Championships. She also won a Pan American U20 gold medal.
Gero-Holt said it's a thrill to represent the U.S.
"Being able to put on the red, white and blue to represent my country makes you feel like, 'Okay, we are actually might be doing something right,'" Gero-Holt said. "It's just a blessing honestly. It's fulfilling. It's what really shows for me (that) it's worth it."
Gero-Holt does not hide her strong religious faith. She's already given three sermons at church. Her biggest fan, whether she's preaching the word or reaching for the finish line, is her grandma Elaine.
"I tell everybody, she is my ride or die, she's all of our rides," Gero-Holt said. "She's genuinely not only our glue, but she's our foundation in our family.
The 17-year-old has been raised by her grandma since she was seven.
"I can't even think of what my life would be like if it wasn't for her who made me who I am," Gero-Holt said. "She has gone to the ends of the earth and continues to go to the ends of the earth just to see smile, you know, just to see joy and I'm happy we've got to do this journey together."
And this journey is just getting started.
Gero-Holt, who is in the running start program, will graduate a year early. Next year she's off to the University of Illinois. But before a trip to Champaign, she'd love a stopover in Paris. And, yes, Grandma would be headed to the Olympics too.
"The reason I am going where I'm going and my future's so bright is because she's my star and she's shined her light on me," Gero-Holt said.
After the state championships, Gero-Holt will get ready to compete in the Under 20 championships on June 12-13. Then the Olympic trials in Eugene are next, which will begin on June 21.