7-Year-Old California Girl Sets 3,000-Meter Record

A young girl from California has achieved the title of the fastest 7-year-old in the world for the 3,000-meter run, as reported by her family.

Emily Chavez, a native of Bakersfield, clocked in at 11 minutes and 43 seconds on February 28 at the Cerritos University Open College Track and Field Meet. This impressive performance broke the previous record of 12 minutes and 10 seconds, according to a record database for young athletes.

There are photos that capture the moment; you can almost feel the joy radiating from young athletes when they finish strong. Her father, Ramon Chavez, shared that Emily was so overwhelmed with emotion that she started crying as she crossed the finish line.

“I asked her why she was crying, and she said, ‘It hurts so much.’ Yet, she was really happy and just hugged me,” he recalled. Ramon, who also established the track and field club, mentioned that achieving this record was no small feat, but Emily had a solid track history to support her aspirations.

She’s already won national titles and has multiple All-American honors under her belt. Still, there was uncertainty—could she actually do it? But Emily’s determination shined through when she declared, “Let’s do this.”

During the race, her father was keeping track of how well she was pacing herself. Interestingly, as she completed more laps, her speed actually increased. “I was speechless just watching,” he reflected, especially as she picked up speed in the final laps. “She just left.”

The Australian Emma Felsman previously held the record before Emily, and before her, it was Taylor Sojourn from Anaheim, who, just a year ago, finished with a time of 12 minutes 40.36 seconds.

This was a significant milestone for Emily, who began running at age four. Ramon founded the track club to cultivate a positive environment for his oldest daughter, and Emily, his second daughter, naturally followed in those footsteps. Initially, though, she wasn’t fond of running.

Starting with slow jogs of about 400 meters, the experience was challenging for her. “At first, she didn’t really like it. It was hard,” Ramon said. However, the more she practiced, the more she grew to love it.

Looking ahead, Ramon aims for Emily to win the 1,500-meter national title this summer and plans to enter her in the Amateur Track and Field Championships in Iowa. As for her biggest dream? She has mentioned wanting to become an Olympic athlete.

Interestingly, her father noted that Emily doesn’t quite grasp the magnitude of her achievement. Although he has faced some criticism for pushing her at such a young age, his main goal is for her to enjoy running as a child.

“I’m not going to pressure her to run fast or to achieve a lot of things. She’s just kind of gifted,” he shared. “I think she’s just a normal little kid who’s very shy but runs a lot more than her peers.”