14-year-old Bay Area track star returns from Junior Olympics with a gold

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. - A Bay Area teen earned a gold medal in the Junior Olympics for track and field in Southern California this month, emerging as a national champion and solidifying her standing as one of the nation’s top sprinters in her age group.

Janet Criss competed in the 2026 USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships held in Norwalk in Los Angeles County from July 27 to August 2.    

100-meter 

The teen went in with a winning attitude, and she came off the track feeling triumphant. 

Her first place finish came in the 100-meter event, in which she clocked in with a 11.60 time.

"She was super excited," her mom Stephanie Burton shared with KTVU. "She said she wasn't going to lose, and as you can see, it went all the way to the line." 

At only 14 years old, and just starting high school this month, most of the runners Janet went up against were going into the 11th grade, according to her mom. Her daughter was placed in the 15-to-16 age group due to the fact that she turns 15 in October. 

The mom also pointed out that her daughter’s first place time wasn’t even her personal best. She marked that achievement in the event’s semifinal race when she ran a 11.44 time two days prior.

200-meter

The sprinter also competed in the older age group for the 200-meter event, in which she came in second with a time of 23.45.

And as a true warrior competitor, the fact that she didn’t take the top slot hit her with disappointment, at least at first. 

"She kinda was down for a second until she realized what she had accomplished. There she was fourteen years old, competing against sixteen-year-olds," the mom shared with KTVU.

Burton noted that the runner who came in first is a notably accomplished, nationally ranked athlete, and once her daughter took to heart what she had done, the disappointment quickly turned into a sense of achievement.

"She put up a fight, and she was very proud of herself after she realized it," the teen’s mom said.  

Janet's performance in the 200-meter marked her personal best time in that event, and it placed her number one in California and fifth in the nation for 15-year-old girls, according to Burton. 

Starting high school

With the major competition behind her, Janet is now focused on getting started on a new chapter of her academic life. This week she started the ninth grade at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward.

"Now she is on a small break, so getting acclimated with high school," the mom shared, saying her daughter is also working on her nutrition and doing Pilates for conditioning and core strength. 

But as the competitive athlete’s life goes, the break will be short-lived as the teen gears up for the indoor track season. "And then it's back to work next month," the mom explained.

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The next big competition will be the 2027 Nike Indoor Nationals in New York City in March.  

"She will be competing for the championship levels next year," her mom explained. "She's past emerging elite." 

Making a name for herself

The backstory:

The teen is quickly rising to become a recognizable name in the youth track and field world.

Last year, Janet placed first in more than two dozen events, according to her website. 

Last month in Reno, she competed in the AAU Track & Field West Coast National Championship and broke three meet records. 

Earlier this summer, she competed in the high-profile Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, where she won in the Emerging Elite division for the 100m, with a time of 11.78. 

Just out of middle school, she beat out top high school runners from across the nation, according to MileSplit CA, a website focused on youth track and field and cross-country, following state race results, rankings, and athlete profiles.

The physical and mental 

While Janet has proven her physical skills and gifts, time after time, and meet after meet, at only 14, Burton said her daughter will be even more dominant as she matures mentally.

"She has a natural talent and has grown so much in her strength and power in running," the mom shared, "And once she gets the mental down, I think she's going to be unstoppable."

As for Janet, her immediate goals include settling into high school, excelling in her academics, serving in student government, and joining the school band as a violinist. 

Later in the school year, she'll run for Moreau’s track team. 

Big goal

And for the teen’s not-so-distant, long-term goal, she said that her sights are set on the pinnacle event for track and field athletes, competing on the world stage. 

"I’m looking forward to going to the 2028 Olympics when I’m 16," the teen said.  

And anyone who has watched the young athlete putting in the work, the hours of extra training through weekends and holidays, there is no doubt that her dreams are within reach. 

In an interview with KTVU last month, the sprinter’s coaches from the Audience of One track club in Hayward said the talented teen was on the verge of exploding to the next level. 

"Sky's the limit for what she'll be able to accomplish," her coach Quita Craft said. 

The teen's mom said she's looking forward to seeing what's ahead for her daughter and expressed her steadfast support through the entire journey.  

"I'm extremely proud of this young lady. And how far she has come in this sport," the mom shared. "Major goals that she wants to accomplish, and I'm gonna be here to help her along the way." 

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