Rahkeem Faison, an eighth-grader at Greenwood Middle School, recently won the Adidas Indoor Nationals Rising Stars 60m finals.

Faison, who runs with NC Flight Club, completed the race in 7.17, which was .16 seconds faster than Kobe Mack, who came in second place.

“It felt good. I train a lot, and just knowing all that hard work I have been putting in is paying off is good to know,” Faison said.

Faison started running track in the sixth grade. Faison is the youngest of his three siblings, and running track is a tradition in his household.

Faison said he likes running track because it builds strength and endurance for other sports. He will often run against high school runners to train and get experience.

When his mother noticed his speed, Faison started training with Eastern Wayne head track coach Leander Oates on the weekends.

“My favorite sprints are the 60m, 200m and 100m,” Faison said.

He joined after NC Flight Club after getting connected with head coach Rudolph Valentine.

“I love the family atmosphere there,” Faison said.