Keni Harrison’s journey to the Olympics started in Clayton, NC. She doesn’t forget home.

Only one thing could make Kendra “Keni” Harrison change her demeanor.

Last week ahead of the 2021 Olympics, Harrison was one of five American athletes on a video conference call with members of the media.

She had her game face on for most of the hour-long call. She looked like she already was locked in on Tokyo, even though she was more than a week away from participating in the 100-meter hurdles, her first and only Olympic event.

Maybe she had somewhere else she wanted to be, perhaps training, to protect her world record. Perhaps, even so far out from her event, she was already mentally in a zone. Either way, she kept a stoic look for most of the call.

But one thing made her face light up.

Harrison, 28, was asked about her time at Clayton High School. A smile immediately popped on her face. She spoke fondly of her time as a Clayton Comet. Her skills on the track took her to the University of Kentucky, where she became an NCAA champion in 2015. She’s now a world champion, and after heartbreak in 2016, advanced to the 2021 games, heading to Tokyo with the fastest time (12.20) in the event.

But her journey to Tokyo started in Clayton, and she hasn’t forgotten that.

“I think it’s kind of cool to come from such a small hometown, and Clayton was such a small school, but the support in athletics was such a big deal,” Harrison said. “Just the fact that I’m able to go to the Olympics and represent Clayton, it’s awesome.”

At Clayton, Harrison was late to track & field, originally participating in soccer and cheerleading. A coach spotted her one day and thought she would be perfect for track. The rest is history.

Harrison won back-to-back state titles in 2010 and 2011 and was named the Gatorade North Carolina Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Harrison started her college career at Clemson, where she won the ACC title in the 400-meter hurdles and was a member of the 4 X 400 relay team. She eventually transferred to Kentucky, where Harrison’s career continued to skyrocket, becoming the first athlete in the SEC since 1999 to win the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.

Harrison turned pro and instantly became a force to be reckoned with across the globe. In 2016, she came up just short in the qualifying rounds leading up to the Summer Olympics in Rio, and that defeat motivated her more than ever to eventually make it to her first Olympics.

And even then, she had to wait an extra year after the Tokyo games were postponed in 2020. She hasn’t lost her drive.

“It did take disappointment for me to pull that world record out,” Harrison said. “I was able to not give up and that’s a lesson that I learned, that things may not happen the way that you want, but you did put the work in and you will see the pay off of that.”

Quiet and tough

Thomas Coughlin was Harrison’s P.E. teacher in elementary school and was an assistant track & field coach at Clayton during her high school years.

Coughlin knows the Harrison family well. Keni Harrison is one of 11 kids, and Coughlin said Harrison always takes time to speak with his own daughter about “real life stuff.”

“Keni is so personable when she comes back,” Coughlin said. “Some of our kids’ jaws just drop because they know who she is. Her humility is just amazing. Her work ethic is just amazing.”

Harrison was already becoming a legend, in Coughlin’s eyes, even while she was still at Clayton High. Former N.C. State star Anthony Barbour, who has coached football and track at various schools across the area, was helping out with track while Harrison was in high school. One day during practice, he told Coughlin that Harrison was the hardest working and fastest girl he had ever seen.

Harrison has never been one for a lot of words, but Coughlin remembers how that all would change when she got on the track.

“It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for,” he said. “She’s tough, man. She’s tough, tough, tough.”

Part of that toughness is mental. Harrison will have the spotlight on her when she starts racing in Tokyo on Friday in the preliminary rounds. It’s been well documented how that pressure to perform has affected different athletes on the world stage. Just this week, U.S. gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from team and individual all-around competition, explaining she needed to focus on her mental health.

Harrison was asked about the pressure to perform, and that toughness Coughlin spoke about came out in her answer.

“I don’t think I have anything to prove,” Harrison said. “I’ve already ran the fastest time ever, that speaks for itself.”

She said she was feeling confident heading to Tokyo, but also wasn’t too much pressure on herself as she faced heightened competition.

“Just over the years, seeing the growth I made in the sport, being able to get better and better at championships also speaks for itself,” she said. “I haven’t run against the fastest yet, but just to have that opportunity, I’m ready to challenge myself.”

She delivered that answer without an ounce of cockiness, but heavy in confidence in her abilities.

“She’s special,” Coughlin said. “She’s an Olympian, she’s a world record holder.”

Influence from all over

Despite all her accolades, whenever Harrison is back in town, she’s just a regular Clayton alum. She’ll stop by the school to see her former teachers and coaches, quick to speak to current student athletes before hitting the track or weight room for a workout.

Coughlin has seen it numerous times, when the current students are starstruck at first. But because Harrison is so down to earth, that quickly wears off, and they engage in conversation.

Coughlin said Harrison will stop by the school once or twice a year, but even when she isn’t there physically, she still has a presence around the program. Ariana Daley, who won the state title in the 400 and is heading to Clemson, said she is in regular communication with Harrison, even if she isn’t in town.

Inside the school, the trophy case is an easy reminder of all of Harrison’s accomplishments in athletics, and there’s hope a gold medal could be added.

In the health classes at Clayton High, one of the lessons is on perseverance, and Harrison’s trials and tribulations of coming up short in 2016 before making it for the Tokyo Olympics is a talking point.

“Her reach and her influence, all that” Coughlin said before coming back to her main skill. “Plus she’s a pretty good hurdler too. It’s pretty awesome. It’s just exciting for everyone around here.”

And even though she’s on the other side of the world for the summer games, Harrison hasn’t forgotten where it started and those who supported her on the journey.

“It’s been a dream of mine for a long time and just the support from Clayton over the past couple of years,” Harrison said. “Just to have that support throughout my high school, college and now professional season, I’m just so grateful for Clayton.”

How to watch

The 100-meter hurdles prelims are Friday, July 30 at 8 p.m. (EST) on NBC.

This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Keni Harrison’s journey to the Olympics started in Clayton, NC. She doesn’t forget home.."

Jonas E. Pope IV

The News & Observer

919-829-8911

Sports reporter Jonas Pope IV has covered college recruiting, high school sports, NC Central, NC State and the ACC for The Herald-Sun and The News & Observer.