On your marks. Set. CRACK.
The deafening noise of the starting pistol popped through the air, and senior sprinter Jayden Tang exploded off the starting blocks. This time, the tailwind thrusted him forward while his mind — finally untroubled from the mounting pressure of breaking the coveted 11-second barrier — went silent. Just 10.96 seconds later, Tang shattered the Monta Vista 100-meter dash record that stood for 38 years.
Growing up, Tang was always interested in doing things fast. He liked solving Rubik’s Cubes quickly, he liked typing rapidly, so naturally, he enjoyed running. Tang’s mother, Claire Chang, says he was very active and fast as a young child, recalling that whenever she was taking him to after-school classes he didn’t want to go to, he would run around the house, and she would never be able to catch him. Tang now holds MVHS’s 100-meter sprint record and is committed to Emory for D3 Track and Field. Varsity Track and Field Sprints Coach Isaiah Smith knew early on that Tang had the potential to be faster.
“Some of my early impressions of him were ‘Okay, this kid is fast, let’s see if we can get him working really hard,’” Smith said. “For the younger kids, as they progress through the four years, the one thing they often need to build is their work ethic.”
Tang said he used to skip off-season training, and, as a result, his performance suffered. In his sophomore year, he didn’t qualify for JV league finals in the 100 meters. Disappointed, he took a long break from sprinting until junior year, when his approach to the sport changed. He said he stopped dwelling on last year’s results and began focusing on going into the year with zero expectations.
“Running challenges are mostly in the head,” Tang said. “If you’re not ready mentally for the moment, something in your form may go bad, or you might trip at the start. Your best races happen when everything is going well. I’ve realized that my good races in track correlated with when I was mentally good. I’m really thankful that in junior year I had a good attitude towards the sport, which enabled me to excel.”
Smith watched Tang’s confidence grow gradually. When he first told Tang that he could run a sub-11-second 100 meters, Smith recalled Tang being skeptical. Ultimately, Smith thinks Tang started believing in himself more, and as a result, Tang put in the work to achieve his goal. Chang says this encourages him to focus on growth rather than results.
“This year, our focus is really on helping him have the right perspective, not focusing on just the result, but also on the process and growing emotionally strong,” Chang said. “We always tell him, it’s the process, and it is the effort that you really should focus on. We understand it’s very hard not to be affected by the result. But that’s what we always tell him, that is, to try to enjoy the process and not let the time the numbers define you who you are.”
Aside from Tang’s parents, senior and jumper Ryan Shen, a Carnegie Mellon University D3 track and field commit, has also played a big role in his journey. During his junior year summer, Tang and Shen would often go to the nearby De Anza College track and work on running and jumping drills. He says that this mutual agreement to constantly push each other has allowed them to improve dramatically, leading them to both break MVHS records. Furthermore, Tang adds that watching Shen compete in high-level competitions such as CCS and state tournaments has motivated him to work even harder
“The workouts for sprinting and jumping are relatively similar,” Tang said. “A couple of days a week, Ryan would join my sprints workout, and during these workouts, we would always give each other advice. We both are really interested in this sport, and so these moments of shared passion really helped us improve.”
Chang says she tries to focus on giving Tang supportive feedback regardless of the result of his races, whether that be telling him he did a good job or that he can try harder. She adds that Tang is incredibly independent, especially when it came to navigating the college recruitment process on his own, which ultimately led to his offer from Emory. Seeing Tang handle recruitment with such proactivity and resourcefulness, she says, gave her the peace of mind that he will thrive regardless of the challenges he might face in college. Smith shares a similar confidence in Tang. Having coached him since his freshman year, he’s confident that Tang will succeed at a collegiate level, as competing at the collegiate level has been a big goal of Tang’s ever since the beginning of his junior year when he began to take sprinting seriously.
“Emory track is going to be harder than the training I put him through,” Smith said. “The one thing I’d want him to do — if track is really that important to him — is stick with it. When it gets hard, get through it. If he wants to give up, stick with it. Because with time, those troubles will pass, and when they do, he will get to the other side knowing that he accomplished something great.”
After committing to Emory, Tang now mentions that his biggest goals for the rest of this track season and the upcoming summer are staying consistent in the gym to get stronger, and getting in the best possible shape before the upcoming fall season. With his MV track and field journey coming to an end, Tang is thankful for all the coaches and teammates that helped him develop his skills, and hopes that there will be a similar, hard-working, tight-knit track community at Emory. Looking back on all his experiences in his track and field career, Tang also shares a piece of advice to younger sprinters.
“When you’re working hard, whether that be training or preparing to run a race, don’t focus on the end goal such as getting into a good college through track,” Tang said. “You have to run with no expectations and trust your training. Have fun with the sport and have the mindset that whatever happens will happen.”
