As the winter settles in, long nights of bitter cold nip away at warm daylight hours. The number of students who choose to stay behind after school hours declines as the warmth of their cozy homes beckon. But rain or shine, you’re likely to find junior track and field member Eric Wang sprinting down the track or in the weight room.

In recent years, Wang has become known for his intense training and for “giving his heart and soul to his sport” as he tries to make the most out of every moment.

“[Training is] basically day in day out [of] almost always working on something. Even in the shower, [I’m] working on [my] leg strength,” Wang said.

Wang conditions every day of the week to keep up with the lead athletes for the school’s track and field team. He runs the 110 and 300 meter hurdles as well as the 4×400 meter relay. His achievements include a personal record of 18.77 for the 110 hurdles, 44.44 for the 300 hurdles and, with his 4×400 meter relay team, a time of 3:55.

Because Wang trains during the off-season as well, he has been able to excel in his sport, as it has helped him gain confidence. With this rigorous work ethic, Wang is usually more prepared and performs better than others at competitions. However, this mindset of constant training hasn’t always been a part of his daily routine.

“Before I became really intense with training, I used to be like many others,” Wang said. “I only really started training when I got a private coach [during my sophomore year] that encouraged me to improve.”

But the path to success has not been easy. Wang has faced many challenges along the way, such as leg injuries from the stress he places on his muscles and physical exhaustion.

Despite these struggles, he knows that the pain has led to real improvements, which gives him a sense of accomplishment.

“Most importantly, my motivation to train stems from seeing the people around me who are faster,” Wang said.

His routine consists of an average of three hours of gym and weight training per week, where he looks to improve his leg and core strength and spends even more time on the track performing stretches and mastering his techniques.

Through all his struggles, Wang has learned diligence. To those who want to persevere in their own passions, his advice is to “write goals, make a program and follow it. There are going to be days that you don’t want to, but you just [have to] do it.”