On the fast track: Carrollton 12-year-old headed to Junior Olympics, 10th grade – Smithfield Times

Akaido “Jig” Mohammed isn’t your typical 12-year-old.

The budding track and field standout, who recently qualified to compete in the Amateur Athletic Union’s Junior Olympics, begins every morning with a 2-mile run. Then he gets right to his schoolwork without being prompted.

The Carrollton resident is already a rising sophomore in high school. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, his mother, Candace Mohammed, enrolled him in the Acellus Academy of Science and Technology, an online self-paced private K-12 school that prepares students for STEM-related careers.

“He was able to fly through a lot of his elementary and middle school courses pretty quickly,” Candace said.

He’s only in his first full year of participating in track and field competitions.

Last year, Jig joined Smithfield Packers Youth Sports’ track team, but an injury he sustained during his second meet took him out for the remainder of the season. He now trains with Chidi Okezie, a U.S.-born sprinter and Hampton University graduate who competed for Nigeria in the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was Okezie who recommended that Jig join the Technique Track Club in Hampton.

As a member of Technique, Jig earned two silver medals and one gold at the AAU district level. He then completed the 200 meter dash in 25.62 seconds and the 400 meter dash in just over a minute at the AAU Track & Field Region 5 qualifier June 28 in Newport News, qualifying in both events for the Junior Olympics, which will be held July 22 through Aug. 2 in Houston, Texas. Athletes with the five fastest scores qualify.

“The 200 meters, we weren’t expecting that one at all. He snuck in there on that,” Candace said.

According to the Houston Sports Authority, the AAU Junior Olympic Games are the largest youth multi-sport event in the nation. There, 15,000 youth athletes from across the country will compete in more than a dozen sports. This summer marks the 59th anniversary of the event and the fourth time Houston has hosted the games.

“He’s always been athletic,” Candace said of Jig, who has participated in soccer and basketball through Isle of Wight County Parks and Recreation. He also boxes in the off-season and has started training with Jerry Forrest, a professional heavyweight boxer in Newport News, but recently decided to focus on track.

“One thing about Jig, he’s a very shy, quiet, mild kid, so it’s hard because he’s not really going to express what he likes,” Candace said. But then “he smiles, and that’s when you know.”

During the pandemic, “it was hard for him to get excited about anything,” but “track is starting to give me my kid back,” she said. “He’s growing into something that you can see that he’s proud of himself.”

Candace said Jig hopes to one day compete for Isle of Wight County Schools, but his accelerated homeschooling has put him in an unusual situation. 

In Virginia, public schools aren’t required to include homeschooled students in athletics or other extracurricular activities, but Isle of Wight County Schools has a policy allowing participation if homeschooled students enroll in at least two classes for the semester their sport or activity is in session, IWCS spokeswoman Lynn Briggs said.

But “I won’t make him repeat courses he’s already taken and I don’t want my 12-year-old among high-schoolers yet,” Candace said.

Candace said Jig’s dedication to his schoolwork and sport has inspired her to return to school. She started her first week at Norfolk State University this month, pursuing a psychology degree in hopes of becoming a licensed counselor.