Highest hurdler: Downingtown East’s Luis Colmenares-Bittar is 2023 Daily Local News Boys Track Athlete of the Year

For Downingtown East’s Luis Colmenares-Bittar, the Daily Local News Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year, the highlight of his spring season was capturing a silver medal in the 300-meter hurdles at the recent PIAA 3A Track & Field Championships.
The road to that silver medal began, ironically, with his love for soccer.
Colmenares-Bittar, a rising 6-foot-1 senior at Downingtown East, tried out for the track team as a freshman, as an avenue to stay fit for soccer, which at that time was his favorite sport. At the end of the first day of tryouts, D-East boys track coach Eric Horsey called the 9th-grader aside.
“Coach Horsey told me, ‘Hey big boy, you’re pretty tall, go over there and talk to the hurdle coach (Wesley Robinson) and practice with them tomorrow.’ As a newbie to the team, of course I was going to listen to coach. The next day I met Coach Rob and the rest is history.”
Colmenares-Bittar gravitated to the 300 hurdles almost immediately.
“As a soccer player I always thrived in the 300 hurdles,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “My first-ever meet I ran it in 45 seconds, which for some people takes them a whole season of training to get to. My years of built-up endurance proved to be very useful.”

Each year, Colmenares-Bittar has decreased his PR time in the 300 hurdles by at least two seconds, and this spring broke the school record previously held by Jvon Jennings (38.65) in 2014. In his final race of the season, Colmenares-Bittar ran his first-ever sub-38 clocking (37.98) in finishing second.
Seeded third in the 300 hurdles with a prelim time of 38.64, Colmenares-Bittar was in third place coming down the stretch of the final, trailing the top two seeds, Bernard Bell of South Western and Perry Addey of West York.
“I knew it was going to be my toughest race all season,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “As soon as I heard that beep, I got out of the blocks like never before. The whole race was close but by the final stretch Bell was ahead of me, along with Addey. My entire season had led up to that point so I was not just going to settle for third place. I remember my whole body shaking, my head was bobbing and even my arms were hurting as I ran next to Addey.
“At that point it was not a matter of who was better, but who wanted it more. They say track is 90 percent mental, and this is where the mentality kicked in — it takes more than physical ability to push past the complacency, especially in these longer races. When I got to the last hurdle before Addey I felt so relieved. Crossing that finish line in second place may not have gotten me the gold, but it did show what a winning mentality is all about.”

For Colmenares-Bittar, the highlight of his weekend at Shippensburg was standing on the podium wearing the silver medal.
“The moment where an entire stadium was staring at just me felt surreal,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “All the hard trainings, all the events I missed, and all the races I went to finally paid off. It was a moment I will never forget because it shows how hard I worked while also leaving room for me to step up just one more spot on that podium.”
One week earlier, Colmenares-Bittar won the 300 hurdles at the District 1 3A Championships (38.46) with a memorable finish, and earlier in the day had qualified for states in the 110 hurdles and 4×100 relay.
“Qualifying for three events definitely put a toll on me; I had already ran two events before the 300 hurdles but was seeded first (in the 300) and was not going to give up that spot,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “My plan was to just run like it was just another meet. The announcer called the names of everyone in the final heat, and after he finished he called out that I was ranked second in Pennsylvania. That put a ton of pressure on me to perform and something just clicked in my head. I ran knowing people were right behind me, they wanted my spot, but I was not going to lay off the gas. I wanted to show everyone that this was my race.”
Coming to the final hurdle, Colmenares-Bittar stumbled but quickly adjusted.
“For a second I was worried I was going to fall just short,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “I had to readjust my body and it was just enough to fall on the other side of the finish line.”
Toward the end of the spring season, when the heat (literally) was building, the junior would pour cold water on himself just before the 300 hurdles.
“I got a few odd looks as I walked up to the line all soaked, but the quick water blast in the heat of May would wake my body up and keep me cool during the race,” said Colmenares-Bittar.
Horsey pointed out that Colmenares-Bittar, one of the top scholars at Downingtown STEM Academy, is a real student of hurdling.
“His mental approach to the sport is unique and sometimes bewildering, in how much time he spends putting into each event that he participates in,” said Horsey. “It’s also unique in how much time he spends working with the other hurdlers, both boys and girls.”
Colmenares-Bittar continues to improve in the 110 hurdles, and finished in 10th place in that event at states.
“I’ve had my ups and downs with the 110 hurdles, they are definitely harder for me than the 300,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “They require a lot more flexibility, which has taken me years to build. This event is a lot more precise because a single mistake can throw of your entire race, but I keep working on it.”
A versatile athlete, Colmenares-Bittar also competes in the long jump as well as the 4×100. He particularly enjoyed his 4×100 experience at this year’s Penn Relays.
“That was such a surreal experience — it was my first time running in front of such a large crowd,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “The trip with my teammates and watching other elite athletes run was a great experience overall. Our team performed well that day, and I especially felt like I was flying down that track. The handoff, the chasing, the finish all were on par that day.”
The rising senior also finds time for playing soccer with the Lionville Soccer Club and for Downingtown East (he was a second team All-Ches-Mont soccer selection last fall).
“My (track) coaches do not necessarily like that I still play soccer, but I cannot yet accept the idea of leaving behind a sport I have worked my whole life for,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “Even if I am not the best at it, soccer always brings me positive memories with my teammates.”
Off the track and the soccer field, Colmenares-Bittar’s favorite academic course at STEM Academy is Sports Exercise and Health Sciences.
“This class applies a lot of biology, my favorite science, into the sports world,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “I think it is so cool to look at different athletes and find patterns that make them all great, but also the different characteristics they each need for their respective sports. The teacher, Mr. Zacharda, always keeps the class fun and entertaining while teaching us some cool stuff.
“In college I am looking to major in something biology and engineering related, maybe something along the lines of biomedical engineering. I really like biology and trying to improve the human body, which is why I am especially interested in things like gene therapy and CRISPR technology. I love lab work and researching new topics hands-on. I do not just want to sit at a desk my whole life — I want someone to give me a problem that they need to solve.”
Colmenares-Bittar paid tribute to his family, coaches and teammates for his success.
“I would like to give a big thank you to my family – my mom and dad, who traveled and cheered me on at meets, and my brother and sister, who kept track fun,” said Colmenares-Bittar. “Thank you to all my coaches for the rigorous training that made me better and especially Coach Rob for sticking with me all these years. Finally, a big thanks to my teammates, track would not be the same without them. I am particularly grateful for the great friendships I made as being part of the Hurdle Squad.”