Wild Rose native Ashton Schwartzman celebrates gold medal won at U20 World Championships

Cali, Colombia. (WSAW) - When the U20 World Championships men’s 4x400 meter race finished on Saturday, Wild Rose native Ashton Schwartzman was a gold medalist.

”I was just that happy. There was nothing that was going to take that smile off my face. I mean, I worked for it so it was not coming off for quite a few hours,” Schwartzman said.

He ran the second leg of the race, creating a wide separation between his group and the rest of the field. The victory capped off a weekend in which he represented the USA Track and Field team for the first time in his career, and made the semifinals of the 400-meter event.

“I think I was just kind of like, ‘wow, this is really it.’ I remember listening to the national anthem like, ‘am I about to cry,” Schwartzman said.

“It’s kind of a surreal moment knowing that a lot of people saw this and I was wearing that USA jersey and it just meant a lot.”

The stage is a long ways from where Schwartzman got his start at Wild Rose High School. A two-time WIAA state champion, Schwartzman first committed to the University of North Carolina. After transferring to IMG Academy for his spring season in 2021, he made the decision to decommit and compete at Texas A&M University. The World Championship stage was the largest he has been on so far.

“I remember sitting in the stands and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m really here in Colombia competing against the whole world,” Schwartzman said. “I have to sit back a little bit because in the moment, I’m just hectic and looking around everywhere. When I sit back, all I can think about is ‘wow.’”

Schwartzman is gearing up for his sophomore season at Texas A&M. He is looking forward to competing at the World Championships next season in Hungary, before aiming for qualification at the Olympics in Paris in 2024.

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