There have been sibling rivalries in athletics before, but what Mia and Mariah Maxwell are doing goes considerably beyond rivalry. At the USATF U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Thursday, the twins from Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas, completed a double sweep of the women’s sprint events that will spark conversation for years. Mia won the 200m in 22.49 seconds with Mariah second in 22.86, following up a 1-2 finish in the 100m earlier in the meet in the same order. Two events, two gold medals for Mia, two silver medals for Mariah, and an achievement that has no real precedent in the history of American junior athletics.
The Eugene sweep is the capstone of a journey that got underway only two years ago. Before May 2024, neither twin had qualified for the 6A State Championships in an individual sprint. Mariah had run 24.26 in the 200m, Mia 11.65 in the 100m. Then they signed with coach Danny McCray at APXP Performance in Katy, Houston, and it was a different story.
McCray had been tipped off by their jumps coach, Marlin Hargrove, who had spent over a year telling him these two needed his attention. “I knew after watching them the first week they were there. I told their parents what they would end up being and they didn’t believe me at first,” McCray said…