When former Crimson Tide standout Kirani James joined his first track club at the age of 13 and began running the 400 meter race, he never imagined he would make it to the Olympic Games.
“[The Olympics] wasn’t a goal for me,” James said. “I just wanted to improve every time I stepped on the track.”
In a little less than a month, James, who is still a student at The University of Alabama despite being a professional athlete, will step on the track in London amongst the top athletes in the world in hopes of bringing home a gold medal for Grenada, his home country, in the 400 meter race.
James is no stranger to competition on the world stage. Last August, he became the youngest 400-meter runner and the first Grenadian to win a World Championship at the age of 18. Although both the World Championship and the Olympics display top athletes from many countries, James said the upcoming London games will be different.
“It’s a bigger stage,” James said. “There’s a lot larger concentration of athletes. I think it’ll be a lot more competitive. There are hundreds of guys there including past Olympic champions. It will be very competitive.”
With this meet, James hopes to include another championship to his already long list of accolades. As a young runner, he set the world record for the fastest 400 meters run by both 14 and 15 year-olds boys. He then went on to compete for The University of Alabama track and field team where he won back-to-back outdoor 400 meter NCAA National Championships. James continues to train in Tuscaloosa with former Tide coach, Harvey Glance, and maintains his status as a full-time student.
James has worked hard throughout his career to land him a position at the Olympics. Now, he is relying on this training to carry him into the London games.
“I’m trying to stay healthy and mentally focused,” said James. “I’m not trying to do too much.”
James left Tuscaloosa Tuesday, July 10, in order to compete in a few meets in Europe. He said he is using these meets as a tune-up for the Olympic Games.
The first round of preliminaries will be held in London on Saturday, August 3. James must advance through this round as well as the semifinal rounds on Aug. 4 in order to make it to the final race on Monday, August 5.
