Johnathan Cabral broke the Arcadia Invitational 110-meter hurdles record of 13.51 seconds set by Ricky Harris (Centerville, Clifton, Va.) in 2000.
Photo by Kirby Lee
When Johnathan Cabral was 9 years old, his father introduced him to track and field, never knowing the incredible journey it would produce.
"I was in youth track when I was a little kid and it was a positive experience," said the father, named John like his dad before him. "I was on the 4x100 relay team and we went to the Junior Olympics where we won a gold medal.
"Later on I noticed that some of the runners who weren't as fast as I was were getting college scholarships because they had switched to the hurdles. I'd never run the hurdles, not once."
That's significant because Johnathan just happens to be the nation's top high school hurdler and is still coached by his dad.
The
Agoura (Calif.) senior cemented his place in the 44th Arcadia Invitational annals last weekend when he broke the meet record by roaring to a time of 13.43 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles before capturing the 300-meter intermediates in 36.42 seconds.
In both races, where he was the defending champion, the event was all but over after the first hurdle and Johnathan gave ample credit to his dad for his improvement.
"We switched my legs in the starting blocks about a month ago," said Johnathan. "It allows me to get to the first hurdle faster and sets me up for the rest of the race."
It took the hurdler a few meets — four to be exact — before he truly felt comfortable changing something he'd been doing since he was 9. As might be expected, not only between athlete and coach but especially between son and father, there was a little tension.
"It took him a while to really feel the difference and then in a dual meet two weeks before Arcadia it all clicked," said the father. "He said after that race, ‘Dad, you're right.' He's so strong that I knew once he was over the first hurdle at Arcadia that he would win.
"There's a very fine line coaching your son. I've seen parents who were almost abusive to their kids and I didn't want to be that, I didn't want to cross that line. But I'll also admit that when other runners say they're a little sore, I'll tell them to sit out. Not with Johnathan. I really do expect more from him, I know his potential."
Clint Cummings, the head coach at Agoura, certainly has no qualms about having John coaching the hurdlers, especially Johnathan. But after taking the job three weeks before the start of the season, it took just one practice to see the chemistry between father and son had produced something very special.
"The first race was a real eye-opener," said Cummings. "Watching Johnathan was like watching an Olympian. He has strength and his form is beautiful. Oh, he'll nick a hurdle now and then, but he rarely knocks one down.
"The thing about Johnathan is that despite his ability, he's a real team player. He is encouraging the others and is constantly cheering. He's like a coach on the track and he himself is extremely coachable. You tell him something once and he implements it."
