Bellevue’s Olympic Hopeful: Patillo’s Paris Push Starts Now

The 2024 Summer Olympics are scheduled to start on Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris and if one Bellevue runner has her way, she will be there competing in the 400-meter dash along with the best in the world.

High school freshman Jaiya Patillo started making national waves in the track community two years ago when a TikTok video of her running 17 miles per hour on a treadmill went viral. She has since broken that record multiple times and shared videos of her running 18 mph, 18.5 mph, and 19 mph.

It’s a challenge to keep up with Patillo’s progress as it seems like she sets a new standard or breaks another record every few weeks. However with the summer Olympics less than a year away, Patillo has started what she calls her #ParisPush and her goal of competing for a spot on the US Olympic Women’s 400-meter team.

Although Patillo is in her off-season right now, she still works on conditioning daily. She runs a few times each week and incorporates strength into her workouts. When track season hits, she will go back to running four times per week, practicing 1-2 hours on running, technique, and drills, and one day a week on strength training.

America will field three 400-meter female runners in the Olympics. What does it take to fill one of those spots? “To qualify for the Olympics you must have a time of 50.95 seconds in the 400m dash,” Patillo shared. “Also, you must be ranked in the world athletics ranking system, which I am. You get one chance to qualify, but I’m trying out for multiple events – the 400m and the 4x400m relay.”

Patillo’s personal best in the 400m is currently 53.87 seconds, which she achieved a few months ago while winning the 400m in the AAU Junior Olympics in Oregon. She will need to shave just under 3 seconds off that time to qualify. “I know it will be very challenging as I am only a Freshman, but I am going to keep working hard and improving to reach this goal of mine. If not 2024 I will definitely be trying out for the 2028 Olympics and 2025 World Games.”

Patillo said that Adidas has helped with her training as a sponsor, “Adidas is my main sponsor. They have helped me prepare by providing me with lots of clothes, shoes, spikes, and gear.”

Patillo discussed some of her toughest competitions and said her toughest race was last year at South Dakota State. She ran the 400m dash when she was 13 against a field of mostly college-aged women. She won and made a little history in the process, becoming the first middle schooler to win a collegiate track meet. If you were wondering, the event was not NCAA-sanctioned, which allowed runners of all ages to compete. “Though I had faith in myself it was mentally pretty intimidating to imagine running against girls so much older and bigger than me,” Patillo said.

In an interview last year with the Bellevue Times, Patillo’s parents discussed how they ended up in Bellevue – Jaiya moved to Bellevue with her parents, Kevin and Sheree Patillo, a few years ago. Jaiya’s mother, Sheree, is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force, and the family transferred to Offutt Air Force Base in June of 2017. “When we arrived at Offutt AFB, we had no idea it was the home of the largest fieldhouse in all of the Department of Defense, containing a 700-meter indoor track”, said Sheree. “Of course, this was a goldmine for then 8-year-old Jaiya, and it continues to pay great dividends for her success on the track today, at the age of 13!”

Sheree also mentioned how much the family has come to love Bellevue. “We’ve truly enjoyed our time in the Bellevue area, especially when finding out it is one of the best places to raise a family! It has presented a safe and family-friendly environment, with just the right amount of fun and entertainment!”

If you would like to read more about Patillo, here are links a some of our previous stories:

• Sensational Jaiya Patillo Makes History As First Middle Schooler To Win An NCAA Meet
• Catching Up with Bellevue’s Jaiya Patillo, The Fastest Girl Around

Pictures provided by the Patillo family