SPORTS
By Kim M. Braud | September 2026
NEW ORLEANS - Dai'Jah K. Robertson learned to run at Joe W. Brown Memorial Park. Years later, she returned to the New Orleans East park not simply as one of the young athletes who grew up training there, but as one of Louisiana's fastest high school sprinters.
Robertson, a Warren Easton Charter High School student-athlete and lifelong New Orleans East resident, captured two individual titles at the 2026 LHSAA State Outdoor Track and Field Championships at LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge. She won the Class 5A 100-meter dash in 11.70 seconds and followed it with the state championship in the 200 meters in 24.30 seconds.
The championship performances capped a season in which Robertson had established herself among Louisiana's leading high school sprinters. Earlier in the 2026 season, MileSplit ranked her first in Louisiana in its combined girls 100- and 200-meter sprint rankings after performances of 11.88 seconds in the 100 and 24.52 in the 200.
Her success, however, did not begin in Baton Rouge.
A foundation built in New Orleans East
Robertson's athletic journey began at Joe Brown Park under the guidance of her father, Nick Robertson, who has coached her throughout her career and serves as the girls head track coach at Warren Easton.
That made her return to the park for the September ribbon-cutting of its newly renovated track particularly fitting. Robertson was recognized during the event with a New Orleans City Council proclamation honoring her athletic achievements.
For Robertson, the renovated track represents considerably more than a new recreational facility. It is part of the place where the foundation for her success was built.
Her progression has been years in the making. As a freshman, Robertson contributed to Warren Easton's 2024 Class 4A state championship team. The title made Warren Easton the first New Orleans public school in 25 years to win a Louisiana state track and field championship. At the time, the Allstate Sugar Bowl identified Robertson among the young athletes positioned to help carry the program forward.
Two years later, she was standing atop the podium herself.
A championship double
Robertson entered the 2026 state meet already among Louisiana's premier sprinters, but her performances in Baton Rouge delivered individual championships in both of the sport's marquee sprint events.
Her 11.70-second performance secured the Class 5A 100-meter championship, while her 24.30 gave her the 200-meter crown.
The Louisiana Sports Writers Association subsequently recognized Robertson on its 2026 All-State track and field team. Her 11.70 performance topped the association's girls 100-meter selections, while she was also listed among Louisiana's leading performers in the 200.
Information provided by the Mayor's Office also notes that Robertson's 100-meter victory made her the first female high school athlete from New Orleans in more than a decade to win a state championship in the event.
Excellence beyond the track
Robertson's accomplishments extend beyond athletics.
According to information provided to Evans Cutchmore Press by the Mayor's Office, Robertson earned a 28 composite score on the ACT, including a perfect 36 in Reading.
She is also involved in environmental work in the community where she grew up. Robertson participates in Water Wise Youth and serves as a Tree Steward with the New Orleans East Green Infrastructure Collective, which is coordinated by her mother, Jackie Baham.
The combination connects several pieces of Robertson's story: athletics, academics, family and community.
Her father helped develop her as an athlete. Her mother is involved in work aimed at strengthening the environmental resilience of New Orleans East. And Robertson herself is building a record that extends from the classroom to community service to the track.
Back where it started
That is what made the scene at Joe Brown Park significant.
The ribbon-cutting celebrated improvements to a public track, but Robertson's presence offered a glimpse of what access to neighborhood athletic facilities can produce.
She began there as a young runner. She returned as a Warren Easton student-athlete, a two-event Class 5A state champion and one of Louisiana's leading high school sprinters.
And her high school career is not finished. Robertson is entering her senior year with another season ahead of her, giving her an opportunity to add to a résumé that already includes team and individual state championships.
For a young athlete whose first training ground was a public park in New Orleans East, the path from Joe Brown Park to the state championship podium has already come full circle.
The next lap is still hers to run.
Kim M. Braud is the Founder & Editor of Evans Cutchmore Press, an independent newsroom covering Louisiana and the Gulf South. Her reporting focuses on government accountability, infrastructure, business, culture, and the public policies that shape communities.
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