Kubasaki senior Carlos Cadet has been named Stars and Stripes Pacific track Athlete of the Year. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – For most track and field athletes, Carlos Cadet’s 2024 season would have been considered a successful one.

He went unbeaten in the triple jump, winning the event at the Far East meet, and won six of eight meets in the long jump. And in the regular season, Cadet won the 110 hurdles five of seven times and the 300 three of six times.

But at last May’s Far East championships, Kubasaki coach Joshua McCall said Cadet – then a junior – came up short and felt “disappointed in how he performed.”

So over the winter, Cadet gave up one of his best sports, basketball, to focus on training for the 2025 track and field season.

“He trained consistently throughout the winter months, trying to get ready,” McCall said. “He set a goal after his junior year and worked tirelessly to get there. He listened to advice. He did his research, he was really committed to finish his senior year where he finished.”

And what a finish.

Cadet won five of six triple jumps, setting a Far East meet record with a jump of 13.40, .72 meters better than his 2024 mark. Cadet swept all eight long jumps he entered, winning Far East with a leap of 6.68.

In the 110 hurdles, Cadet won all but the Far East meet preliminaries, six first places in all including the Far East title; he earned Far East Division I Athlete of the Meet honors.

But it was the times he posted in the 110 that stood out. Cadet became the first Pacific athlete to clock under 15 seconds three times during the season, including his Pacific-record 14.61 on March 21 at Kadena.

“It was really impressive. He was on the track three days a week at a minimum. He put in the work,” McCall said. “He’s not afraid to do the hard work, which is awesome to see.”

For all Cadet accomplished in that senior season, he has been named Stars and Stripes Pacific boys track and field Athlete of the Year.

Although his victories might appear to have been performed with apparent ease, they were the result of hours of study and hard work on the track, Cadet said.

“Watching film two hours a day. Working out in the gym two hours a day. Doing field work for another two. Anywhere from six to seven hours a day,” Cadet said.

With the record chasing came plenty of responsibility to his teammates, not “me” but “we,” Cadet said.

“I hope to leave a lot of tools to those who follow,” Cadet said. “That what I’ve done is possible for any athlete overseas. I hope to inspire people to put that work in.”

Cadet will attend Carroll University, a Division III school in the Collegiate Conference of Illinois, in Waukesha, Wis., just a few minutes’ drive from McCall’s stateside dwelling.

“Hopefully, I’ll get to see Carlos again,” McCall said.

The conclusion of his high school career is not an end, Cadet said, but a “beginning of what’s to come and what to foresee in the future.”

Age: 17

Place of birth: Cambria Heights, N.Y.

Other sports: Football, basketball, lacrosse.

Favorite subject: Accounting.

Least favorite subject: History.

Favorite athlete: Justin Jefferson.

Favorite forms of entertainment: R&B.

Favorite entertainer: Brent Faiyaz.