Story By Heath Hambrick
Fort Payne Sophomore Lydie Varnadore completed the AHSAA State Heptathlon on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hoover High School. This is a competition where athlete competes against other athletes from all seven classifications. This year’s event had a total of 61 girls entered in the competition.
Varnadore finished third in the competition, scoring 4240 points, which shattered the score record set by Collyn Davis-2734 points.
Varnadore is the first Fort Payne athlete to compete in the event since 2017. She finished 3rd overall, two places behind Janie Ford of St. Paul’s Episcopal, who is currently number one in the US for the heptathlon.
On Tuesday, Varnadore competed in the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200-meter dash. On Wednesday, she competed in the long jump, javelin, and the 800-meter run.
“I was very excited when she came to me a couple of months ago and said she wanted to compete in the event. It was a learning experience for me, too, as I had never entered a girl in the heptathlon, but after scouring previous scores and performances, I knew that if she put a good two days together, she would do well. In typical form, she blew away any expectations, finished 3rd, and showed that she is currently one of the best female track and field athletes in the state,” said Fort Payne Head Coach Cole Peters.
Among the top five females who placed, Varnadore was the lone sophomore, accompanied by one senior and three juniors. Three of the other four who placed each won at least one of the seven events over the two days. Varnadore’s best finish in any event was fifth in both the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump.
“This just shows how versatile she is and puts her athletic ability on display,” said Peters.
Some athletes rely on one dominant performance in each event, whereas Varnadore had to do very well in each to produce a score.
“She is already looking forward to the next multi-event, the pentathlon in indoor track and field. We spend each week planning our strategy and deciding the best way to use her. There’s nothing she can’t do, and it was great to see her put that on display on a state-wide stage this week. The best part is, she’s just getting started,” said Peters.
