McKnight named in Olympic squad
Kaila McKinght and her husband Brad Hutchinson were over the moon about Kaila'a Olympic selection.
LEONGATHA runner Kaila McKnight has been selected for the London Olympics.
Kaila was informed on Tuesday of the news and was relieved she had made it. The announcement came on the back of her win in the Qantas Melbourne Track Classic and Olympic Trials on March 3.
“I’m quite excited and I’m relieved that the race was over on Saturday night,” she said.
Kaila has been running for years in the 1500m event and has competed at the Commonwealth Games, world championships and various overseas athletics meets.
The Olympics has always been a goal for the 25-year-old and it has been a long journey to
selection.
“When I was at the Commonwealth Games, everyone had started talking about London,” Kaila said.
“I wanted to get there but it was a really big step from the Commonwealth Games because the standard is three seconds more and all that sort of stuff.”
An “A” qualifying time of 4:05.65 which Kaila ran at the World Championships in Korea last year resulted in consideration for selection in the Australian team.
“There wasn’t a day I decided I wanted to make the Olympics. A time of 4:05 was always a goal of mine and 4:06 was the qualifier, so I was so happy,” she said.
“I qualified just 12 days into the qualifying period and had a lot of time to think about it.”
Kaila and her family have been preparing for possible selection for the Olympics for months now.
“It’s been a long process. I had to get measured for my gear before I could qualify and my parents had to buy tickets before I could even qualify,” she said.
Kaila is planning to join her team in London by the end of June, preparing for the games, which start on July 27. The running star is continuing her normal training regime.
“I’m heading up to Falls Creek for altitude training for a couple of weeks but my training is going to stay the same pretty much,” she said.
“I’ve been a little bit injured so I need to get my fitness back, get to that fit point and then lift another level above that.
“This year the Olympics are the focus and I’m not going to be competing much up until the games.”
Being well prepared is the key and Kaila said she is looking to be in a good place mentally and physically leading up to the games.
“I’m stronger than what I was this time last year, and I’ve got more experience from world champs and racing overseas,” she said,
“You’ve just got to be that strong and know that you can do those times when it’s needed. I’m not intimidated by the other runners.
“I want to be able to do it and not have to have the best day of my life to get there; I want to be strong enough.”
A niggling injury has been plaguing the athletics star lately, but it should be healed by the time she gets to London.
“I was racing at a small meet and it was my first race in a while, when I could feel the blisters developing,” she said.
“That was back in January and they’re still there, but if I could rest they would heal, but I don’t have time to rest. I just manage and dress it and look after it. It’s nothing too serious. I can do 98 per cent of my training now.”
The Star wishes Kaila the best of luck with her training leading up to the Olympics.
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