Keni Harrison (UK Athletics Photo)
She’s certainly no stranger to the international spotlight and has shown she can perform well on the biggest stage. Yet former University of Kentucky track star Keni Harrison admits she will be extremely nervous competing in the 100-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I always think there are butterflies,” Harrison said.
However, she knows being part of a “stacked” USA team gives her confidence she can do well in Tokyo.
“For me, being able to line up with the best in the world is going to bring enough competitiveness out of me,” Harrison said. “It would be nice to have fans there when we are done and can celebrate. But when you line up with the best in the world, you can’t worry about who is in the stands knowing they are trying to make sure everyone is safe. Just having the Olympics is a blessing in disguise. So just be grateful for what we can control.”
She admits it was disappointing when COVID canceled the Olympics last year. Harrison said she was in “disbelief” when she got that phone call.
“But now I have been waiting so long for it I just want to take full advantage of it,” she said.
Harrison missed the 2016 Olympics when she was sixth in the U.S. Trials with her slowest time of the year. She came back to set the world record of 12.20 seconds in her event and is one of the favorites to reach the medal stand in Tokyo.
“I think missing the team in 2016 was heartbreaking but this time I have already made the Olympic team so that is the hardest part,” she said. “Going to Tokyo is just like another meet. What has fueled me for five years was that disappointment (of not making the team in 2016).
She won U.S. titles and world championships after failing to make the 2016 Olympic team. She won both indoor and outdoor championships at UK in 2015 where she earned 15 All-America honors and was a five-time SEC gold medalist. Those numbers are why she will be inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame this fall.
“It’s crazy that I have had some of those accolades before I was an Olympian,” Harrison said. “Getting records is the hard part. The fact I did that before I made my first Olympic team is crazy.”
She said her selection to the Hall of Fame surprised her.
“It is still hard to wrap my head around that your school thinks you deserve to be here (in the Hall of Fame). It is amazing,” Harrison said.
An Olympic gold medal would seem to be a final piece to complete her already outstanding resume.
“I don’t worry about time (in the Olympics). Whatever it takes to win, that is the time (I want),” she said. “If it is 13 seconds, it is 13 seconds. I am not going to put too much emphasis on time. You can run 12.2 but if you lose … you just never know.”
