With the Rio Olympics coming to an end, the United States won a total of 121 medals. West High’s own Trevell Quinley (class of 2001) had the honor to compete in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Quinley was sponsored by Nike and was also invited to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. Quinley said, “Resources, including medical, helped dramatically. My coach at the time was Mike Powell and he definitely saw potential.”

The rush and pressure of the Olympics seem unbearable. However Quinley said that, “My mind was fine when competing. I was coming off an injury and had a hernia, but the competition is just like anything else. Us [sic] athletes must learn to treat them all the same, so there was no pressure.”

When asked about his experience at West High, Quinley said, “My experience was the best. I was new and made friends quickly. One of my best friends was EJ Savoy, who passed away a couple years ago. We played on the basketball team, and Coach Thornton was influential as well.” He also believes that the track coaches at West helped him, saying “I didn’t get here alone.” Some advice Quinley would like to give students is “You don’t get anywhere alone in life, bad or good company. Value those relationships with those that will be there for you whenever, whether you are an Olympian or not.”