When Armon Frazier moved from Coweta to Okmulgee in the eighth grade, no one knew much about him but that would soon change according to his track coach Dwight Pankey.

“I moved him from JV to the varsity squad his freshman year and he was the only freshman to do that, and he anchored our relay teams. From there he has just gotten better. He won the 400-meter sprint at state last year with a time of 49.3 seconds. He’s being looked at by several colleges including LSU and it’s not very often you find track athletes that get a chance to run at a D-I school.”

Now a senior, Frazier will defend his state title in the 400 this spring along with running in the 4X100, 200 and 400-meter relays. He started running around the age of 10 after watching an older cousin run track. He ran with the Tulsa Jaguar club, but it took some time for him to find his event.

“When I started out, I wasn’t very good in the 400-meters but did well in the 100 and 200-meter races. But I continued to work hard and eventually I got a lot better at the 400 and people couldn’t keep up with me.”

Growing up Armon set his sights on the running of Olympian Usain Bolt.

“I’ve always wanted to be like him. He’s just so fast and confident and sometimes it seems like he just toys with the competition but always tries hard and seems to know he’s going to win.”

This year Armon has a goal of reaching 47 seconds in the 400 and is in the midst of recruiting.

“When I visited LSU, I talked with the coach and saw some of the folks he had coached, and I feel like I could contribute to their program. They’ve offered me but I’m waiting to see what else might come along before I make a commitment.”

Down the line Frazier has a goal that includes a different kind of gold.

“Some day I’d like to open a jewelry store. I’ve grown up around jewelry and I got my first piercings when I was eight and I’ve always had rings and necklaces.”

But for now, Armon Frazier will settle for some more gold at this year’s state track meet.