Nathaniel “Junie” Smiley Jr., 9, Yelm, only planned to compete in track and field to help increase his speed for the upcoming soccer season.
What followed was a three-month journey that included numerous first-place finishes, a handful of medals and trips to the United States Track and Field Regional and National Junior Olympic championships in Oregon and Texas, respectively.
Smiley qualified for the national championships in the 800 meters, 1,500 meters and 4x400 relay thanks to top-five finishes in each event at the regional championships, including second-place medals in the latter two races. While he did not qualify for the national finals in the 1,500 meters — he finished 11th in preliminary race — or the 4x400 relay — 20th in prelims — he set a personal best mark in the 800 meters in the prelims to place sixth. Smiley took eighth place in the 800-meter finals to earn the title of junior Olympic All-American.
“I wasn’t surprised, but I was so proud of myself,” he said of his medal-winning finish. “I just wanted to do what I could.”
Smiley and his family funded his trips to Oregon and Texas in large part through nearly 500 sales of teriyaki and pepperoni meat sticks through social media. Supporters from around the local community came together to help the incoming Fort Stevens Elementary fourth grader achieve his goals with the purchase of meat sticks and direct donations to their cause.
“It was incredible. The donations helped so much,” Ricci Smiley, Junie’s mother, said. “We were just trying to get the word out that he was really trying to compete and ready to do it. A lot of the work was him. His family was helping out, but he’s the product. He had to prove that he was worthy of everybody’s support, and I think he did.”
Brandon Brown, Junie’s uncle, was the first person that the young athlete impressed on the track. Last summer, Brown helped with Junie’s training for soccer but realized that his speed could translate beyond the pitch.
“I would always have him run sprints because you could just see that he was very fast. I started to think about how he is always on the move and very quick, so why not try the mile and see what happens?” Brown said.
Smiley ran a mile in 7 minutes and 21 seconds on his first attempt on July 27, 2023, and he shaved off nearly a minute from his time just 10 days later. By Christmas Eve, he completed a mile in just under 6 minutes.
“It was pretty obvious at this point he had a very special talent,” Brown said of Smiley, who later joined the Nitro 1 Sports Fighting Eagles Track Club. “I’m beyond proud of what he’s accomplished. I know he had to make a lot of sacrifices and not be able to play in the neighborhood with friends, but he kept his head up and worked so hard. We always have one rule, and that’s to have fun. I think he went above and beyond in accomplishing that.”
Smiley said he’s exploring the idea of sprinting next track season and wants to improve his speed on the relay races. His dream is to set a world record in track, and he and his family believe that after a standout debut season, that dream might be possible.
“Who knows, in eight years, maybe he will be racing for a gold medal in the Olympics,” Brown said.
Smiley will complete his track season with an appearance at Total Sports Development’s Speed Night on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Yelm High School.
