HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — On a back corner of the track at Varina High School in Henrico County, Virginia, you can find a solitary figure being put through his paces by his coach.
Davian Burke is not just a track athlete. He is one of the best hurdlers in Virginia.
Burke is currently ranked number one in the Commonwealth in the 300-meter hurdles and third in the 110-meter hurdles.
Not bad for a teenager who didn't even want to run track when he was younger.
"I didn't necessarily like track practice because I didn't like the running aspect," Burke said. "After every year, my mom would keep telling me do you really want to run track? And I said no. She said can you give me one reason? I could never give her one reason."
Burke started working with Accaiya Evans in grade school.
Evans has been overseeing his improvement in the hurdles for the past two years.
Running for Banner Christian School, Burke is training for the Independent Schools State Championships.
Burke will go for his third consecutive sweep of state titles at both distances in the outdoor championships after winning his third straight titles at the indoor meet in February.
"I doubted myself throughout the years. The more I trained the more I got comfortable, especially as a hurdler. You always have to train on your techniques to build more speed through the hurdles," Burke said.
"He checks all of the boxes off the track," Evans said. "When parents and coaches say we shouldn't have favorites, I quickly disagree. And the reason is because of student-athletes like Davian."
As you can imagine, all that success comes after hours of practice on the track.
When Davian Burke practices on the track, he does so alone. Banner Christian has a track roster of exactly one athlete.
"All I've been asking for these years is a hurdle buddy," he said.
Burke said he was envious of other teams that have multiple athletes not just for training, but also for camaraderie and motivation.
He said he mostly relied on himself to keep his focus and intensity where it needs to be.
"To motivate him to do what I know he's capable of doing, I don't have to do too much of that," Evan said. "That's like 20%. The other 80% is all him."
"I've been trying to irk my school for kids to join the track team and build camaraderie through it. You don't really have to win. You just have to try your best and have fun while running," Burke said.
Burke's best time in the 110-meter hurdles is just over 14 seconds.
If he can get below that threshold, his opportunities will explode and perhaps give him an even better shot at his ultimate goal.
"My goal and my dream is to make an Olympic team one day. 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, that's my goal," he said.
"We talk about next level, wherever he goes they're not just getting a track athlete. They're getting a great kid, a good person," his coach said. "If I had to choose one of my kids that has what it takes to go past the collegiate level, and it's a rarity. I doubt it will happen, but if I had to pick any one of my kids right now, it would be him."
CBS 6 provides Central Virginia with the only local TV sports coverage in town. Depend on Lane Casadonte and Sean Robertson for the most complete local sports coverage.
CBS 6 provides Central Virginia with the only local TV sports coverage in town. Depend on Lane Casadonte and Sean Robertson for the most complete local sports coverage.
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