Lake Norman Christian cross-country runner is Charlotte Observer athlete of the week

A sophomore cross-country runner at Lake Norman Christian is the Charlotte Observer athlete of the week.

Shukria, who prefers her last name not be used, received nearly 46 percent of the 34,116 votes cast. She finished ahead of Gaston Christian’s Adam Hoyle and Charlotte Country Day’s Linda Fonville

Shukria ran a time of 28 minutes, 14 seconds at Frank Liske Park Sept. 21, shaving 2:39 off her 2019 personal best 5,000-meter run in the season-opening South Piedmont Athletic Association race.

Shukria came to the United States from Afghanistan in 2017 for medical care.

Shukria, who has since been adopted by a local family, received her green card last month, becoming a permanent legal resident, according to Lake Norman Christian cross country coach Anisia Tellefsen.

▪ A new pool of candidates will be announced Sunday and readers can vote as often as they like.

Want to nominate an athlete?: Athletes of the week highlights high school players with outstanding performances. The goal is to recognize all athletes in all sports, both the most accomplished and the underrated or underappreciated players. If you want to suggest someone to be included in the Athletes of the week column, send email to Jay Edwards at edwardswork23@gmail.com. Please include the athletes’ name, school, class and applicable game performance statistics. Coaches must be willing to verify information.

This story was originally published September 27, 2020 at 2:53 PM.