PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Ask Andrew Hintlian what inspires him the most and there’s no deliberation with his thoughts.
“My dad,” he quickly confirms. “Although we’re different athletes running different events, he’s always been an inspiration to me.”
That’s quite a statement, given the fact Fred Hintlian was an All-American hurdler out of Tufts University who was the epitome of AYF runners a generation ago while starring for Boston.
The elder Hintlian wound up with 63 points over the 1980’s. Only once did he settle for a silver medal. All others were golden. He swam. He did it all—the total athletic package. And he did it gracefully and without bombast.
Now, along comes his son, looking to keep the tradition intact.
Son Andrew carved his very own niche in the distance events, much the same way he’s done at Winchester High School, where he’s a senior. Only, he runs for the Providence AYF, not Greater Boston.
He got his trifecta started with the 3,200-meter run in 11:56.6. The closest one to him was teammate Gary Dodakian (12:36.3). No Philly runner was anywhere in sight, bringing added glory to the “Varantians.”
Next came the 800 meters and once again Hintlian set the pace at 2:10.3, well ahead of Greater Boston’s Armen Arakelian (2:15.6).
The 1,600 meters was another non-Philly event. Hintlian covered the distance in a ho-hum time of 5:15 with another “Varantian” (Sevan Zobian) well in arrears at 5:38.5. Hintlian also did three relays
Add it up and it’s 15 points for the gangling runner with the fluid stride. Seems he ran only as hard as he wanted to this afternoon, given his history at Winchester High where he’s team captain.
His best times: 400 (51.9), 800 (1:58), mile (4:37), and 2-mile (10:10).
Overall, he was pleased, not jubilant by any stretch, considering the fatigue and all that’s going on back home with track and colleges. He’s looking into electrical engineering, hopefully on a track scholarship, given the fact he’s an honor roll student. A Division 2 school might be the perfect fit for the young star.
This past summer, Hintlian was enrolled in a program called “Emerging Elites” which toned his flexibility and polished the other rudiments of his sport.
“Andrew’s got a ton of potential,” said his dad. “He’s a better athlete than I was—and that’s saying something. I’ve seen a big change in him over the years, especially with his Armenian heritage. It’s gone beyond team boundaries and that’s what I’m truly happy about.”
As to next year in Chicago, Hintlian also had an emphatic answer.
“I’ll be there.”
Tom Vartabedian
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