Hallandale's Rushing Takes Charge In China For World Youth Olympic Games

2014 has been a dream season for the young star from Hallandale "Hurdle" High School. Kimani  Rushing's journey began no different than any other high school student. As a freshman in 2012,  Kimani competed as a 100m and 200m sprinter. During that time, track and field was a hobby to her, not a passion. After getting a taste of high school track and field, she considered her freshmen year a disappointment. She lost several races against opponents whom she once beat with ease in AAU & USA youth Track and Field summer leagues. That experience left her with a feeling that wasn't familiar and she didn't want to feel it again. As a result, she trained during the summer to reclaim her status as an elite runner on the South Florida circuit.

 

In 2013, she decided to expand her horizons and compete in the 100m hurdles. With the hurdles being a new event for her, she worked diligently to learn how to hurdle and hone her technique with Head Coach John Battle. After investing time and effort, she caught on to the event extremely fast. "I knew from day one that she had the ability to be another star from our tradition of great hurdlers at Hallandale Magnet High School. Her drive and determination to be the best was the mindset she practiced with everyday", Coach Battle stated.

 

In her first 100m-hurdle race she ran in the mid 15’s, which was extremely impressive for a first-time hurdler. Her coaches noticed that she ran that race with a timid attitude, and soon discovered that she had a lot more to offer in the event. After a long motivational talk about where she could be in the near future, her entire demeanor changed. She was instructed by her coaches not to hold back and to give it her all and not to worry about falling. Her next race ran under 15 seconds. At that point Kimani "Big Pepper" Rushing was born. Instantly, she made a drastic change in her approach towards Track and Field. Her coaches saw a new Kimani. In practice she refused to lose any reps and if she did, she was eager to work 

harder to prevent it from happening again.

 

Being the offspring of two parents who were both former star athletes. The expectation for her to be great was quickly established. Her mother will be the first to tell you that she has high expectations for her children, "they must compete in the classroom and compete on the field of play", stated Coach Battle.After training the entire summer of 2013, she was in the best running shape of her life as she started her sophomore campaign. The level of training provided by Hallandale High School is like being in college. "We take our workouts seriously. Our coaches do a really good job of getting us prepared to compete. I had to change my diet, my sleeping patterns and hit the weight room really hard during the 

offseason", stated Kimani.

 

By the first track meet in 2014, she picked up another event that she learned under Coach Battle. In Addition to competing in the Youth Olympics in the 100m hurdles, she is also one of the top high school Triple Jumpers in the country. A personal best jump of 41'11", she's broken the Triple Jump records at several meets across the State of Florida. Most recently she broke the Triple Jump record at the 2014 ESPN Disney Club Championships in Orlando Florida.

 

After a year of record-breaking performances, she ended her high school season being the class 2A district, regional and state champion in the Triple Jump, 300m Hurdles and was also runner up in the 100m Hurdles. However her most impressive accomplishment was being selected a a member of the 2014 USA Youth Olympic Team that is competing in Nanjing China August 16-28, 2014. With only fifteen athletes selected to the USA Team, Kimani is one of two athletes representing the State of Florida and Broward County Public Schools.

 

"It is definitely a honor to represent the United States. I understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to make the most of this opportunity by doing my best", stated Kimani. One day she plans to compete in the Summer Olympics as a professional after her college career. It is evident that if she remains focused and keeps working hard, her dreams are surely attainable.

 

When she returns from her Youth Olympic experience, she plans to take some time off and develop new goals with her coaches for her junior season in 2015. There's something truly special about Hallandale Magnet High School and Kimani Rushing is another shining example of the high quality student athletes it produces on a yearly basis.

 

This dynamic young lady and her CHARGER teammates will be "Changing The Oil" at a track near you  in 2015. For additional information on Kimani Rushing competing in the 2014 Youth Olympics visit USATF.org.