Western New York Athlete Ranked #1 In The Country

Most people don't even know that this is a competitive sport.  Not only is it, but we've got one of the best right here in Western New York.

It's not often that you hear that someone is a competitive speed walker.  But it's a legit sport and one of the best in the country is from right here in North Tonawanda.

What does competitive speed walking entail?

A lot of people call it speed walking. In the Olympics, they call it race walking.  It's exactly what it sounds like.  It's a race where you're not allowed to run.  You have to walk as quickly as you can from point A to point B.

The hard part about speed walking is the rules.  The most specific one is that you must always have at least one foot in contact with the ground at a time.  You aren't allowed to have both feet off the ground as you would if you were running.  If you do lift both feet off the ground, you'll get a "lifting" penalty.

There are also penalties for doing things like bending your legs too much.

One of the best in the country is from here in North Tonawanda

Channel 7's Briana Aldridge found this story about a high school student in North Tonawanda who is currently the top speed walker in the country!

His name is Jayden Burns and he's jumped to the top of the rankings as a junior in his first year competing in the sport.

Could there be a scholarship opportunity here?

It's not crazy to think that there could be scholarships in the mix for Burns.  Secondary education is always looking to expand their horizons.  Earlier this week we found a story about two students who received college scholarships for playing the backyard game cornhole.