His name says it all.
It’s as if his parents knew all along what type of athlete Torun Robinson would one day become.
After all, it’s in his genes. His father, Torun Sr., was a Blue Chip All-American football player as a senior nose guard for McComb in 1987. He then signed a football scholarship at LSU before ending up at Southern Miss.
The younger Torun has blazed his own trail, but not on the football field. He’s a state champion for McComb High in the boys’ 400-meter dash with aspirations to go higher — much higher.
Robinson, an 18-year-old senior, wants to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Before that, however, he has many other goals to reach.
On Feb. 3, Robinson signed a track and field scholarship with Mississippi State University.
“I was happy and relieved that my hard work paid off,” Robinson said of signing with the Bulldogs. “But I knew I was going to another level. I knew I was going to have another challenge, that I was going to have to work harder.”
If past accomplishments are any indication, Robinson will be up to the challenge.
“He’s really stepped into the leadership role,” McComb track and field coach Mark Lang said. “He leads by example. He works hard.”
Sometimes, Lang added, Robinson works too hard. He didn’t run in the boys’ 400-meter run last Saturday’s meet at the University of Southern Mississippi due to a strained hamstring.
“He’ll overdo it,” Lang said. “He’ll go practice, lift weights for a while, then go back to practice. He wants to be at his best.”
Lang said Robinson is expected to be back at 100 percent for Saturday’s meet at Jewel Sumner High School.
Robinson began what has evolved into a stellar track career four years ago as an eighth-grader, running for the McComb junior varsity squad. He went undefeated in the the 400-meter event, winning 25 races in a row. He also ran the first leg of the team’s 4x400-meter relay team.
During the summer months, he has competed for coach Eddie Ray Jackson — who is also Robinson’s godfather — on the McComb-based Raising Alliance of Discerning Leaders camp squad. As an eighth-grader, he finished second in the Junior Olympics, running in the 400-meter dash.
“My mom and dad didn’t believe I could run at first,” he said.
Just about anyone associated with track and field knows it now.
In his freshman year, Robinson joined the varsity team. The move paid immediate dividends. Along with his continued success in the 400, Robinson also was placed on the 4x400-meter relay squads.
“In the ninth grade,” he said, “we told coach Lang, ‘We’re gonna be your best class.’ ”
“He worked hard. He was all into the track thing,” Lang said. “He keeps up with the times of other runners around the country. He really keeps up with it.”
In his sophomore season, Robinson was added to McComb’s 4x200-meter relay squad — and again made an immediate impact. At the Jewel Sumner meet, he and his relay teammates notched a time of 1 minute, 27 seconds — good for the 15th best time in the nation in that event. The Tigers immediately became nationally renowned.
The team as a whole became even better with the addition of freshmen Lamarvin Ashley and Damarcus Jenkins, both of whom have become starters for the McComb football team.
“That gave us motivation to work even harder,” Robinson said of his new teammates. “They bettered the team. We had some parts missing. When they came, they filled the missing places and our team became a whole.”
Last season, Robinson became a regular in four events when Lang penciled him in to the 4x100-meter relay team at the Mississippi College meet.
“It was a necessity thing,” Lang said. “I put him in the relay, and he ran right before the (400-yard dash). I was a little concerned about putting him in there because his form isn’t that of a sprinter.”
Robinson only ran one of his best times ever. McComb steamrolled the competition and won the event by 30 meters with a time of 41.8 seconds. Lang said he learned a lesson that day.
“I found out I can put him anywhere,” he said. “He can do most anything.”
Robinson estimates that he has won roughly 50 events in his high school career. His major concern now, he said, is preparing for college track and field — including an improved diet.
“He doesn’t always eat right,” Lang said. “He’s kind of laid back about that.”
Robinson said that has already begun to change. He said he no longer eats white bread, rarely drinks sodas and doesn’t go to parties.
“I know I’m going to compete at a different level, and I need to change my eating habits,” Robinson said. “If I drink a soda, I’m somewhere they don’t have water. When people are at parties, I’m home doing situps.”
While his scholarship may be for track, Robinson remains focused on getting a college education. He currently has a 4.02 grade-point average and last year scored a 27 on the American College Test — a mark he believes he can improve.
“I’m going to take it again, see if I can max out on it,” he said.
As for his post-track future, Robinson said he wants to either be a real estate entrepreneur or follow in the shoes of brother Damien, a mechanical engineer at the Grand Gulf nuclear plant in Port Gibson.
