Congratulating Vivian Salerno on Being Crowned An Aau Junior Olympic Champion

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SMUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and congratulate Vivian Salerno on being crowned an AAU Junior Olympic Champion and setting a new 800-meter record.

Vivian ran a time of 2:06:54 at the Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa, on August 5, 2026, which earned her first place in the 800- meter race in the 17- and 18-year-old girls division. She also set a Junior Olympic record, beating the previous record by 0.7 seconds. Her personal record of 2:06.33 is three seconds faster than any competitor in Lancaster-Lebanon League history. She is the first individual national champion from the Lancaster City Track and Field Club.

Vivian, who is a junior at McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has won many other titles. She was a gold medalist at the Pennsylvania State Championships in May and placed first at both the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships and District 3 Championships. In June 2026, she competed at the Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia and placed fifth.

Vivian is a well-decorated and talented athlete whose work ethic makes Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District proud. I congratulate her on her tremendous accomplishments at both the state, and national levels, and I wish her many more years of success.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source