Gates Hinton, a Fuquay Varina High School senior, has become this year’s state champion in discus. This makes Hinton a back-to-back winner of the annual championship, a brand new achievement he has reached that can be added to his long list of accomplishments made recently.

Along with being a back-to-back championship winner this year, Hinton has also broken a new North Carolina High School Athletic Association record with a throw of 198’9”. This accomplishment has now made him a two-time record breaker.

Though he had won the championship before, it is extremely special for Hinton that he was able to win back-to-back championships, an opportunity most high school athletes don’t get.

“It’s a blessing to go back-to-back. They say it’s one of the hardest things to do. But to go back-to-back and also break the state record on top of that, it was really what I was gunning for all season. To finally accomplish that goal was probably a high school dream come true,” said Hinton.

This achievement comes with a lot of positives according to Hinton, as it opens up even more opportunities for him that he hadn’t had previously. This new achievement brings hopes for Hinton on his future career with discus in college.

“Going into college this year, this heightens my excitement for going just because I know I’m going to get a new level of competition. It will be fun to train with a new coach and a new set of teammates,” said Hinton.

With this record-breaker, Hinton looks forward to new challenges in college as he continues his sports journey. He is reaching for even higher goals as he goes into further schooling.

“I’m really looking to qualify for the U20 Olympics this year. That’s a big one on my list. I’m also looking to break the school record for Charlotte. I just need to get to work, put my head down, and go get after it,” said Hinton.

We look forward to hopefully watching Hinton represent our country, as well as FVHS, one day in the Olympics.