English Gardner, by finishing second in the 100m at the recent USATF Outdoor Championships, realized yet another resurgent victory in a young career full of them.
“The most distinguished quality of a person that becomes great in this sport is that they never quit,” the 27-year-old said after qualifying for the world championships as one of the top three finishers in Des Moines on July 26. “I joke around with my dad and all my friends, I’m like Freddy and Jason in this sport. You can’t kill me.”
While Gardner was a high school freshman, her mom, Monica, was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.