She's just getting started. Local track star takes gold at Junior Olympics

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — At just 10 years old, Myla Johnson has set a high bar for youth athletes in Las Vegas as the local track and field star soared home with a gold medal after placing first at the 2024 USATF Junior Olympics.

"It was very stressful at first, my mom and I had talks about trying your best and having fun, I went through that talk again, my last jumps were good and that made me bump up to first place, I knew I could do it," Johnson said.

It is a journey that started three years ago with her mom, Nicole Cooper.

"We were at the park and she always wanted to race me, of course, I'm not going to let her win and I think that fueled her competitiveness," Cooper laughed. "She wanted to do this triathlon and I said 'ok just try it, see if you like it,' it was an 800-meter race. She won and the rest was history."

Now, Myla has made great strides which include being a three-time junior Olympian, two-time All-American, and a straight-A student with the help of her mom as her coach.

"She acts like all of the other coaches 'cause she doesn't respond to me when I say mom, but she does when I say Coach Coop," Johnson said. "She gives me pep talks and makes me very confident."

That strong mother-daughter relationship has brought more to Johnson's team than just competition.

"A sort of togetherness," Johnson's head coach, Daniel Martin said. "The entire team is like a family and that's what we thrive on."