Two days out from the Wanda Diamond League meeting in the Chinese city, Fred Kerley, Devynne Charlton, Sam Kendricks and Chris Nilsen took time out to visit the Shangwen Experimental School, doing a question-and-answer session, signing countless autographs and putting students through their paces in a workout.
The school had an electric atmosphere throughout the visit as youngsters ran to every available vantage point to catch a glimpse of the stars.
The afternoon began with the four athletes walking into an assembly hall where a couple of hundred students greeted them with a rapturous round of applause. They were swiftly inundated with autograph requests as they took their seats, which they happily obliged.
The school principal then addressed the room, saying it was “an honour to have the stars of the Diamond League” visit the school. The students then put questions to the athletes, with one asking what they believed was the most important element for success.
“Being able to handle losing very well,” said Nilsen, an Olympic and world medallist in the pole vault. “If you’re able to handle your losses very well, the rest of your career will be very easy.”
Kendricks said success “often comes as a team, so if you can find a good team in your life you can find great successes.”
The two-time world pole vault champion told students how a state title at the age of 13 “changed everything” in his career and it still ranks as his finest athletics memory. “I was not an amazing athlete in the beginning,” said Kendricks. “I was very small and very slow.”
Kerley said the key to success was discipline. “Track and field is a hard sport so you’ve got to listen to what your coach tells you,” said the 2022 world 100m champion. “You’ve got to stay disciplined.”
The athletes then made their way outside, posing with some students and faculty members for a picture before going to the school’s track, where they split up to put various groups through a training session.
Charlton, the world indoor champion and world record holder at 60m hurdles, showed the kids drills to improve their mechanics over the barriers, taking time to make corrections with the youngsters’ technique. The Bahamian star knows all about the importance of interactions like this, recalling how an early meeting with Olympic gold medallist Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie ignited her desire to follow this path.
“It was things like this with other professional athletes when I was younger that got me interested in track and field and wanting to be where they were,” she said. “It brought back a lot of memories coming out and seeing the kids excited, and them soaking up what we had to say.”
Charlton said the enthusiasm was “overwhelming” and added: “It was really fun. It was a big welcome and it was interesting to work with the kids, give them bits of advice.”
Just down the track, Kerley was helping a horde of young sprinters with their start, demonstrating how he sets up the blocks and giving the kids pointers on how to be in the optimal position. He then did several accelerations and the students were visibly awed by the sight of the US star powering out of the blocks, giving him a round of applause. Kerley also put the students through a series of sprint drills using horizontal ladders, taking time to make changes in their mechanics.
“I love it,” said Kerley of the event. “I’m one of the top athletes and it’s good to give back to the future of our sport. I wish I had somebody like this growing up; it definitely motivates them for the future.”
Kerley’s words resonated particularly with seventh-grade standout Chen Yantong, who recently blazed to victory in the women’s 400m at a regional U18 competition, clocking 57.96 seconds.
His main advice to the students?
“Stay disciplined, stay hungry, stay patient, because you got ups and downs – it’s part of sports,” he said. “Believe in yourself, first and foremost, and keep on going, keep on achieving, because you only know what you can achieve.”
Kendricks and Nilsen, meanwhile, worked with a different group, showing them how they warm up, the youngsters amazed at the sight of the pole vault pair doing walking handstands. They then reverted to the high jump, where the US pair took turns with youngsters in clearing a bar and giving them feedback on their technique.
As they trained, hundreds of other students gathered at the edge of the track, waving to the stars and watching their every move. Once the session was complete, they surrounded the athletes, who gave generously of their time to fulfil autograph requests.
On Saturday night, many of those same kids will be in the stands of the spectacular Egret Stadium to watch the stars shine, but on Thursday, they were among the lucky few to get to meet, greet and learn from the world’s best – an experience they certainly won’t forget.
