Bionic.

The Palmerton track program has its very own six million dollar woman in track star Nataly Walters.

It’s easy to imagine Walters possessing super human strength with all the accolades she has collected over the past two seasons, and while Walters may not be bionic, she has shown the ability to fight off significant injuries in both her sophomore and junior seasons to win league, district and state golds.

Walters’ superior performances during the 2024 track season – winning the state championship in the long jump and the silver medal in the triple jump – once again earned her the title of Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Unfortunately for Walters, she once again faced injury challenges this season, rolling her ankle on a jump during the third meet of the season.

“It was the third meet and I just landed wrong and I heard a pop. For three weeks, I did nothing on the track at all. No running or jumping, but I stayed very active and kept myself strong. I continued to lift that entire time and when I was able to come back, I think that’s a big reason why I was still able to compete at such a high level, because I kept the rest of my body strong,” said Walters.

“It definitely is not easy to come back from an injury like that. My ankle is still sore and it’s still healing. But I was determined to defend my title. My mom gave me a lot of inspiration during that time as well. She made me understand that I was hurt and that was something I needed to accept while I was getting myself ready to come back. Then it was all about fighting through the pain. At leagues, districts and states I took it just one jump at a time. I needed to get through that 30 seconds and just do my best and trust my technique.”

Walters also needed to fight through an injury to her hamstring during her sophomore campaign. Walters injured her hamstring at the conclusion of the soccer season, which lingered into track and field. Palmerton track head coach Mike Gombert has always been impressed with Walters’ natural talent, work ethic and ability, but he believes she has also made significant strides with the mental side of the sport.

“She came into this season with a ton of pressure on her. I mean, for a sophomore to win two state championships, especially in events like the long jump and the triple jump, people are going to now expect that or even more the next year. But she handled it so well, “ said Gombert. “She was cool and calm throughout the whole season. Then, you throw the type of injury she had in there, and what she was able to do this season was incredible.

“To have all that pressure on you and then not be 100 percent and win a gold and a silver, plus she helped our 400 relay team win a sixth place medal. It’s really an amazing accomplishment.”

Walters agrees with coach Gombert that her mental prowess this season was a big reason why she was able to perform so well as she battled through adversity.

“I think I just had a great mindset this season. I think I really grew mentally from last season,” said Walters. “Just using the strategy of self-talk. Talking to myself before a jump and telling myself that I have the ability to make a great jump. That has really helped my confidence. When you’re injured it can be really hard to keep your mind right. I think the injury last year helped me with that as well. But I really think my mental growth also helped me push through.”

Walters finished the season with individual golds in the long jump and triple jump at the Colonial League meet and the District 11 2A meet, while capturing the state title in the long jump and finishing runner-up in the triple jump at the PIAA 2A state championships. Walters took home the gold at states with a leap of 18-8 ¾ in the long jump and a silver in the triple jump with a jump of 39-7 ¼. Walters owns Times-News area bests in both the long and triple jump.

“I can’t wait to get back to work. I think moving forward I’m just going to focus all on track now. I’m also looking to do more meets this offseason than I normally do. I just want to get more marks out there before the start of the season. It’s all about just staying strong and staying healthy,” said Walters. “I am very determined to come back and perform better than I ever have before in my senior season. I am grateful for all the success I have had and looking back, I know I was disappointed in myself in the moment for not winning the gold in the triple jump.

“But now, having some time to think, I am grateful for that medal. Don’t get me wrong that is going to push me to come back and try and win that event again. I’m just excited to see what I can do next season. We’re moving up to 3A next year, so it’s going to be even more competitive, which I am certainly looking forward to.”