Maya Evans kicked down Mia Manson to win the 100 in a new meet record of 12.28 Saturday.
Maya Evans pumped her arms and lifted her knees as she sprinted down the track. With 50 meters to go in the 100, she was in an unfamiliar spot - second. Ahead of her, Mia Manson had used a nearly-perfect start to get the jump on Evans, but the race wasn't over.
Evans fixated her eyes on the finish and focused on keeping her form aligned. Her curly hair shimmered in red under the Colorado sun.
Evans inched up on Manson with each stride as the two neared the finish line. The crowd rose to its feet in an anxious shriek. Manson went to her arms like a prize-fighter to keep her lead, but Evans was making gains. The only question was if she would run out of real estate before completing the comeback.
The crowd hit its crescendo as Evans and Manson dipped at the line, and then everyone went silent. It was too close to call for the moment. Officials went to work with the cameras and when the results came in, the ever-so calm Evans cracked a sly smile, then gathered her things and headed back to the long jump.
Evans claimed the 100 in 12.28 over Manson's 12.29. The time was a new meet record, and it would just one of three for Evans at the Lyons Invitational.