Video and story by Elisabeth Tharp | Broadcast Reporter
This season Baylor University’s Track and field team has a new athlete who has come all the way from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Leticia de Souza won the Brazilian National Junior Championships in the 400 meter dash with a time of 53.93 seconds and was named best female athlete at the meet.
Leticia represented her home country in the 2016 Rio Olympics and represented Baylor for the first time this weekend.
“It was perfect,” Leticia said when asked how the Olympics were. “Mostly because it was in my country so I had all my family cheering for me and it is amazing to live a dream and know that I am young so I can improve my results and fight for a better place.”
Leticia said she was planning to go back in 2020 to the Olympics.
“Of course, I’m training for that,” Leticia said. “And I am sure I can improve my results and work more with Coach [Harbour].”
Head Coach Todd Harbour said Leticia performed “Amazing. … She did an outstanding job today and I’m thrilled with her performance overall. I couldn’t be happier as her coach. … I am very, very proud of her.”
This meet was Leticia’s first time running in an indoor track but that did not stop her from coming out on top. She ran in the women’s 400 meter dash and served as the anchor for the 4 by 400 meter relay.
