KENT SMASHES GUAM 10K RECORD

By Jay Leon Guerrero

Hugh Kent adds another major accomplishment to his young resume in Guam Athletics. The 18-year-old college freshman, now representing the University of Portland Pilots, smashed the 10,000 meter Guam national record with a time of 30 minutes, 44.04 seconds.

The previous record was 31:39.24 held by Johnson Lee, who was in attendance at the Linfield Erik Anderson Memorial Icebreaker Invitational in McMinnville, Oregon, to witness Kent’s achievement.

“It was amazing to see the former record holder in person,” said Kent. “I really appreciate him making an appearance. After I finished, we shook hands, and he told me that I did amazing.”

“My biggest surprise was that Johnson Lee got the record after only about two years of competitive running. I’m very happy that I was able to overtake such an amazing athlete and even more excited for what else is to come in the future,” said Kent.

Kent was a standout during his four-year tenure at JFK High School. He was a cross country champion all four years and holds nearly all the high school long distance records on the track.

He is a unique athlete, and everyone stopped what they were doing to watch when he raced in high school. For Kent, it’s still the beginning as he looks to challenge himself for faster times.

On race day at Linfield College, he trusted in his training and workouts. “Looking at all the workouts I’ve done, and the kind of shape I felt I was in, I wasn’t thinking about whether I can or can’t break the record, but by how much I can break the record by,” said Kent.

At just 18 years old, a sub-30 10K is very attainable as he looks to improve and break his own record in the near future.

“Every person I met in Guam always cheered me on and believed in me. Now that I’m out here with the opportunities to put work in, the best way for me to say thank you to my home is to succeed and show them what they believed in.”