MORAGA, Calif. – Former Saint Mary's Track & Field star Rajpaul Pannu announced on his Instagram that he'll be representing Team USA this weekend at the 100k World Championships in Berlin, Germany. 
 
Over the past year, Pannu has been training non-stop for the World Championships, poised and proud to represent Team USA and Indian-Americans on the global stage. 
 
Sporting the Team USA singlet in his Instagram post, Pannu writes, "Fifteen years in the making…Representing Team USA and Indian-Americans for the 100k World Championships held in Berlin, Germany this weekend. A big thank you to my mom, coaches, teammates, the small circle of friends & family for your unconditional support through the years. From Hercules, CA to Berlin, Germany – I wouldn't be here without you all." 
 
When we checked in on Pannu in January 2021, he had just finished second in the Hoka Project Carbon X 2 100k race with a time of 6:28.31, which at the time was the 3^rd fastest 100k time by an American male in history. Pannu finished just 19 minutes behind race winner Jim Walmsley, who with a time of 6:09.26, had missed besting 100k world record time by only 11 seconds.
 
Head coach Marty Kinsey couldn't be prouder of his former runner. "Raj's story has been one of inspiration. The fact that he continues to ascend in the running world is like watching one of those feel-good stories. This is someone who was just 10 seconds off qualifying for an NCAA championship...so close but didn't make it."
 
"He stuck with it and a few years later we were able to get him to qualify for the Olympic trials in the marathon and qualify for a USA championship in the 10K. Raj continued his passion and eventually ran the third fastest 100K time for Americans. That led him to this journey where he gets to represent team USA at the highest level in the world championship. I'm so excited for him!"
 
During his time at Saint Mary's, Pannu rewrote the history books, setting school records in the 8000m with a time of 23:53 and the 10000m with a time of 30:10. In his junior year with the Gaels, Pannu was named First Team All-WCC XC and USTFCCCA XC All-West Region.
 
The race is set to get underway on August 26^th at 9:00 PM PST, and you can watch Rajpaul via the live stream HERE.