In May, then Hillcrest High School senior Ajani Rush scored the biggest win of his high school sporting career. The hardworking and dedicated athlete and track star won the IHSA state title for track and field at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
After rolling his ankle on day one of the two-day event, Rush scored his overall best time on the 110-meter hurdles in the Class 2A state meet in late May, running a 14.2 second race to win the state championship. Not letting the day prior get to him, Rush recalls the fierce motivation he felt before hitting the track.
“Before the race started, I was thinking ‘this is my last race of my high school life,’ Rush said. “A second after that, I heard the gunshot go off, and all I could think was just ‘run and don't stop.’ I didn't see anybody beside me. I knew there was somebody next to me, but I didn't see anybody beside me. I felt like it was just me running in practice.”
Rush says his win was a surprise for many in the audience who anticipated another athlete was going to win the title. After crossing the finish line, Rush recalls yelling across the field to his mother, “I told you I was going to do it!”
The now Hillcrest alum says that he owes his strength to win to his late brother, Anjay, who he says is his biggest motivation.
“He was the one who was coming first in state and everything,” Rush said. “I had a talk with him the night before the race and I told him I was going to win, and he told me ‘I believe in you.’ He was my biggest motivation to win.”
Now that he has graduated from Hillcrest, Rush is now focused on collegiate sports. He plans to continue to play football and run track in the hopes of going pro some day.