AUSTIN - Cameron Chin poured everything he had into one last race.
It would be the last time he represented Baytown Sterling. It was the final chapter of his high school career, and all his hard work came down to 200 meters.
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Chin kicked into another gear, chasing down Brenham's Eric Hemphill - the favorite coming into the 2022 UIL State Track & Field Meet - and started gaining ground. He passed him with 100 meters to go and didn't let up.
“It was just hold on for dear life because I know he’s coming,” Chin said with a smile.
Chin eventually pulled away from Hemphill and the rest of the field to cross the finish line at 47.05, capturing the Class 5A 400-meter State Championship in thrilling fashion.
“Honestly, I never thought I’d be able to make it here,” Chin said. “I just trucked along and kept pushing. I just always remembered it just takes one step.
“I always told myself whether I came first or last that this was going to be everything for me."
WATCH THE WALK-DOWN!! @AVIDRSSRangers senior Cameron Chin in the final 200 meters comes out of nowhere to win the 5A Boys 400-meter State Championship with a time of 47.05!! #UILState @GCCISD @MaxPreps @TTFCA @KPRC2RandyMc @KPRC2 @KPRC2Ari @milesplit @SCNext @SportsCenter @espn pic.twitter.com/8B8q4AYPk0
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) May 14, 2022
The future Lamar University Cardinal had never been to the UIL State Track & Field Meet. Walking into Mike A. Myers Stadium in front of packed stands can be "pretty nerve-racking" but Chin wasn't fazed.
"I have a really good mental state to always look forward and keep pushing," Chin said.
That mentality led Chin to become the first runner from Baytown Sterling to win an individual medal at the UIL State Track & Field Meet since 2007.
“It was to show everybody what Baytown Sterling is about,” Chin said. “Show everybody that anything is possible from anywhere.”
#UILState Track🎥: Baytown Sterling's Cameron Chin chats with the media following his 400-meter State Championship #vypecampus @GCCISD @lmartin1_lee @RSS_RangersFB @TTFCA @AVIDRSSRangers @AshlyElamSports @LamarXCTF @KPRC2RandyMc pic.twitter.com/p8N4bUIqAB
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) May 14, 2022
The support system around Chin is a rock solid one.
The Baytown Sterling senior gets the support he needs from his mom, Baytown Sterling head track man Coach McDowell, his teammate Chandler Beck and God.
As he crossed the line on Friday night with the stadium roaring, Chin thought about his late grandmother Nelda Ruth Barnaba - she was the final support piece in this win.
"I thought my grandmother was really holding me up from heaven because lord knows I needed it," Chin said. "That final 100 meters was everything I had."
As Chin walks off into the sunset of his high school career and prepares for his collegiate career, the first thing he is ready to do is get home to enjoy some of his mom’s gumbo.