PHOTO COURTESY UTRGV ATHLETICS
Efe Latham, a graduate student from Lasalle, Quebec, Canada, is a thrower for the UTRGV Women’s Track & Field Team. Latham qualified for the NCAA West First Round in shot put, finishing 36th with a mark of 14.84 meters.
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself?
A: “I guess a fun fact would be that I speak French. Most people know that.”
Q: Who or what got you into track and field?
A: “I think getting into track and field was kind of like an accident. We had, like, sport day back in high school and, then, I guess it was like an opportunity to miss class. So then, I went to the track meet, and … I finished first, like, over the first time. And I was like, ‘Oh, like, I kind of like this.’ And then, I kind of found the track club back home and, then, it just went off of there.”
Q: Who has been your biggest inspiration or role model?
A: “I think my biggest role model would be, like, Sarah Minton, which is our Canadian shot footer. … Growing up, I thought, like, I was too small to be throwing shot foot, but like, seeing that we’re the same height, and she’s [gone] to the Olympics twice, won world championship medals. So, that’s definitely somebody I look up to.”
Q: How do you mentally prepare for running?
A: “I just play some music before I warm up and kind of get in the zone and start visualizing and focusing on the technical cues that I want to keep before I go to compete.”
Q: What shows or movies do you like to watch?
A: “I love thrillers, so anything that’s mystery with action all together.”
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: “Not really. I think I just practice a lot and like listening to music. Those are like my favorite things to do.”
Q: Are there any sports that you like to play other than running?
A: “I think my favorite sport outside of track would have been rugby. I played rugby for a year, so that would be, like, my No. 2.”
Q: What do you like most about UTRGV?
A: “I like the community here. I really like the team. Everybody’s, like, supportive. They have your back no matter what. So, that’s what I really love about here.”
Q: What are your biggest goals?
A: “My biggest goals would be I would love to make the Olympic team for Team Canada one day. And then outside of sports, I want to be a sports psychologist and, like, help athletes overcome, like, mental barriers because that’s something I have to do at once. I want to be that person for somebody else.”
—Compiled by Valeria Tokun Haga
