Running is in Jermiyah Brown’s blood.

His older brothers, Michael and Dominique Brown, were both gifted track and field athletes who participated in the AAU Junior Olympics. Nearly a decade later, it’s Jermiyah’s turn to follow in their speedy footsteps.

The 11-year-old is one of about two dozen members of the Vicksburg-based Mississippi Heat Track Club that have qualified for this year’s Junior Olympics. The weeklong event begins July 28 in Humble, Texas.

Jermiyah Brown has qualified in the bantam division boys 100-meter dash. Mississippi Heat coach Clarence Maxey wasn’t sure Brown could win at the Junior Olympics — Brown’s best time is about a second slower than the winning time last year — but did like the youngster’s chances in the coming years.

“He’s a pretty good athlete. I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him. He ran 14.23 (seconds) at Monroe. I would like to see him get down to the 13s,” Maxey said. “He’s improved a lot from last year to this year.”

The Heat does have a few sprinters who should compete for medals in Texas. Vicksburg High’s Keiyana Gaskin and Terrell Smith will run in the 100 and 200 meters. Gaskin will also run in the 400, and Smith in the 4×100 meter relay.

Gaskin reached the MHSAA girls Class 6A final in the 100 and 200 during the high school season. Smith won the boys Class 6A championship in the 200 meters and was a favorite in the 100 until he was disqualified for a false start at the North State meet.

Gaskin was fourth in the 100 and third in the 200 at the Class 6A meet in May, but has had a strong summer season. She won three gold medals at a regional qualifying meet in New Orleans in June to advance to the Junior Olympics.

There will be nearly 100 competitors from across the country in each event — and each age group — at the Junior Olympics. Maxey believes Gaskin is good enough to earn a medal by finishing in the top eight.

Gaskin, who will be a freshman at VHS when school starts in August, will compete in the 14-year-olds’ youth girls division.

“I do expect Keiyana to be on the medal stand in the 100 and 200. The 400 is more of a desire thing. It’ll depend on how much she wants to focus on the other two,” Maxey said.

The Heat also will bring an outstanding sprinter from outside Warren County with them to Humble. West Bolivar’s Kailo Moore, the defending national champion in the young men’s 100 meters, will run with the Heat.

The 18-year-old Moore won the state title in the 100 meters at the MHSAA Class 2A boys meet in May with a time of 10.41 seconds. That was just .02 seconds off the overall state record of Coldwater’s Trell Kimmons, who will run for the U.S. team in the 4×100 relay in the London Olympics later this month.

In all, the Heat will have 23 athletes participating in 35 individual events and three relays at the Junior Olympics.

“That’s roughly half the team that made it,” Maxey said. “This is the most we’ve had to advance since 2006. I think that year we had 19.”