LAKEWOOD — Tavon Underwood ran the 800 meter run once before Friday’s finals at Jefferson County Stadium.
Underwood finished second on May 8 at the NoCo Last Chance Qualifier with a 1 minute, 55.52 seconds, second-place finish.
For Friday’s Class 4A state title race, the Kansas State commit won the 800 with a personal-best time of 1:51.97 — just 1.23 seconds off the 8-year-old state meet record of 1:50.74.
Underwood’s feat began with an announcement by event commentator John Register Sr that made a few spectators gasp.
“Underwood is attempting to earn titles in the 100, 200, 400 and 800,” Register said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that.”
Underwood started hot in the first 200 meters but dropped to third after his first lap.
As far as seeding, the field, from 1-18, had just four seconds difference from top to bottom.
After the first lap, everyone remained bunched with only two seconds separating first from last.
Underwood managed to work his way past second in the last 200 of the race and made his final push.
Grand Junction Central’s Shalom Trowbridge, who entered the race seeded first, glanced to his left to check Underwood’s position.
When Trowbridge’s head returned forward, Underwood took the lead with 50 meters remaining.
Both runners churned, gunning for the top spot, but Underwood crossed the finish line .16 ahead of the Grand Junction Central senior.
After earning the 800 title, Underwood will enter the 100, 200 and 400 seeded first in each event.
The Mead senior has won six of seven 100 dashes this season and three of four 200s and 400s.
Underwood clocked in at 20.99 in the 200 during Thursday’s preliminary race.
That run not only set a personal best, it broke the Class 4A record of 21.05 set in 2013 by Canon City’s Zac McCoy and was the fifth fastest time in Colorado history.
Underwood will run the 100 at 10:37 a.m. Saturday; the 400 at 11:37 a.m.; and the 200 at 1:18.
