Motivated by failure, junior pole vaulter Noor Abdellatif looks to correct her mistakes and finally qualify for state after two consecutive years of missing being a state competitor by only a few inches.

“Missing state the past two years has really motivated me,” Abdellatif said. “It motivates me to work harder than everyone else. Qualifying for state has always been my goal.”

By qualifying for state, that would also mean that she would be the school record holder for girls pole vault at ten feet three inches. For Abdellatif, a school record and state qualifying pole vault are not the only things that she hopes to be remembered for when she walks out the doors of Antioch.

“I want to be remembered for my improvements,” Abdellatif said. “All people naturally improve, but usually only by a few inches each year; I managed to improve my personal record by four feet last season. I want people to remember me for how hard I worked to get to where I am today.”

Abdellatif’s hard work has most definitely paid off, earning herself the title as captain this season. With this title, Abdellatif hopes to be a good example not only for the underclassmen, but also for her entire team.

“[Noor] is the type of person that hypes everyone up and pushes them to do their best on a daily basis,” sophomore Ayanna Tommy said. “She is also a great student, being an even better example.”

This season, Abdellatif looks forward to being able to witness what the underclassman are going to be able to bring to the team.

“We have such a young team full of athletes who have so much passion for this sport,” Abdellatif said. “With all of the talent that we have, I truly think that we will perform very well.”

For Abdellatif, track is sport that allows her to focus on herself and her personal goals, but it is also an atmosphere that she enjoys being in.

“[Track] allows me to work on my personal achievements as well as working with people as a team,” Abdellatif said. “I also enjoy it because it is a sport where we are focused at times but other times we like to have fun outside all the seriousness.”

With goals that are not yet achieved, Abdellatif will continue to work her hardest to put herself in the best possible position to accomplish her goals.