MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Success for Logan Alsobrook isn’t something new.
After three years of training, and being named an All-American 15 times, the 10-year old Memphian is showing why he might one day grace the Summer Olympics track for the red, white and blue.
“I like the attention. I like how everyone is like, ‘Wow, look how fast he is! Look at the time he ran!’” Alsobrook said.
He took home the gold after running a time of 2:15:93 in the 800-meter dash at the 2024 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic Games in Greensboro, NC.
Alsobrook placed fourth out of 78 runners in the 400-meter dash after running 58.71 and third in the 4x400 meter relay as the anchor leg for Elite Feet Performance (EFP) track club.
While he did break a sweat, Alsobrook showed no signs of fear.
"I’m confident and nervous going into races," Alsobrook said. "Before a race, I try to get in the zone and separate myself so I can get a good warm-up. But most of the time, I’m not nervous.”
He joined Blues City Runners track club in 2021 when a coach invited him to a practice.
Alsobrook competed in his first meet at Briarcrest and surpassed many people's expectations, including his own. After early success, he switched gears to EFP to follow coaches that would push him closer to greatness.
“I like the coaches that are hard on me, because if I had a soft coach, I know they’ll be like ‘It’s fine, you weren’t that slow,’" Alsobrook said. "If I had a hard coach, and I ran a time I wasn’t supposed to, they’ll tell me how to fix it.”
Speed runs in the Alsobrook family led by father Christopher and mother Jerrica. Logan and his 9-year-old sister London both qualified for the Junior Olympic track and field events. She also competed in the 4x400-meter relay as well as the 9-year-old girls' triathlon and long jump.
The Alsobrooks have adapted to the busy lifestyle and wouldn't want it any other way.
“We enjoy being involved in our kids’ lives. It’s a joy to see them from day one up to this point how much they’re grown,” father Christopher said.
This is the family’s fourth year competing in the Junior Olympic Games. Last year, Logan took home the silver in the 800-meter, fourth in the 400-meter and 1500-meter. In 2022, he was the nation’s third ranked 9-year-old in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1500-meter runs. In 2021 at just 7-years-old, Logan placed third nationally in the 1,500-meter run.
“I was happy, because it was my first time making it to the Junior Olympics, and I didn’t think I’d make the top five," Logan said. "I was excited for it, but the next year I knew I was going to try and get first.”
Like many dedicated athletes, Alsobrook doesn't have a solidified offseason. During the fall, he participates in Memphis Youth Athletics (MYA) cross country meets.
In the State Cross Country Championship, Logan placed fourth in the elementary division for third through fifth graders. Out of the top 20 runners, Logan was the only second grader in the pack.
Logan’s performances at state last year gained national attention from outdoor sporting goods company HOKA. In May 2023, HOKA featured Logan and his teammates in its “Humans of HOKA” marketing campaign.
"Memphis Youth Athletics reached out to us and was like, 'Hey, we have this HOKA campaign, and we want to spotlight Logan with his accomplishments through cross country,'" Christopher said. "We were surprised by it, but we were excited!"
A week after bringing the gold to the Bluff City, Alsobrook got back to the books and prepared for his first day of fifth grade. When Logan isn’t making strides on the track, he's either building LEGO sets, making pasta or brainstorming his next STEM project.
“I want to be an architect when I grow up. I have this robot that I coded to do things, and I have this robot hand that I just built,” Logan said.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics wrapping up on Sunday, it's only a reminder of what Logan's future could look like.
“He can do both!" Christopher said. "When you set your mind to something, you can accomplish both of them. We see it now with the Olympics. A lot of Olympians still run and have other jobs that they do as well.”
After watching Team USA sprinter Noah Lyles win gold and bronze this past week, Logan sees a future for himself in the 200, 400 and 800 meter dash.
“My goal is to go to the Olympics one day, so it was kind of cool how they had it [The Junior Olympic Games] the same week,” Logan said.
“It takes a village to raise a child. Well, it also takes a village to raise a champion. We know we needed help from everywhere, and it paid off this year,” Christopher said.