Hailing from Detroit Michigan, Olympic track star Kendall Baisden got her barrings in the throes of athleticism somewhat accidentally. Whilst her mother was set on Basiden and her sister to be “the next Venus and Serena Williams” after attending a week-long tennis camp, the coach’s feedback came back to report as the youngest camper, her speed was unmatched. Then at ten years old her heart was set to run competitively despite her mother’s dismay. “Me being an addict to competing and trying new sports, I successfully begged my parents to let me run on a track team. In my first year of doing the sport, I was breaking age group’s records locally and nationally and placing in the top three in the nation in the sprints at the Junior Olympics. Ever since that year, I haven’t stopped running and I guess, the only explanation for that is that I just fell in love with it and my parents gave up on the Venus and Serena thing,” she explained to V.

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In an exclusive interview get to know model and runner, Kendall Baisden below:

 

V: Who inspires you the most?

KB: The greatest athlete of all time: Serena Williams (who is the reason I wanted to become an athlete in general) and the most decorated track and field athlete of all time: Allyson Felix. I cherish being able to grow up watching these women develop from young prodigies to the dominant and legendary athletes that they are now. I feel like their stories are part of what motivates me to unapologetically pursue my passions on my terms. I also admired how they have paved the way for the upcoming generations of Black female athletes like myself to excel in sports with eloquent regality and intense fierceness. 

V: What does training season look like summed up in 5 words?

KB: Find your rhythm and attack.

V: How have sports affected the non-athletic parts of your life?

KB: When I started tennis as a kid, sports became a major focus in my life. So with most of my life experiences stemming from track and tennis the way I pursue life is parallel to how I pursue my sport. For example, despite being a sprinter for sixteen years, I still find myself finding new ways to train and new areas that I can improve in to be a better version of myself each season. This is similar to my general perception of myself: a perpetual work in progress who is open to discovering and experiencing new ways to grow as a person.

V: If you didn’t play your sport professionally, what would your occupation be?

KB: An architect. I’m a lover of almost everything design-related and with architecture, I find it so fascinating that you can use design to create a space or environment that influences how people are experiencing life. 

V: What are 5 training essentials you cannot do without?

KB: Alkaline water (No other water quenches my thirst since I discovered it)

• Saucony Endorphin Speed Trainers (I feel like I’m flying every time I run in them)

• Running shades (They set off my alter ego and put me in the zone)

• Massage Ball (Hits all those tiny knots that are hard to reach)

• Music Playlists (I have a playlist for every training day scenario)

 

V: What are some thoughts you have or things you tell yourself when you’re at your physical limit? How do you push through?

KB: Being a 400m sprinter means that you have to recognize that the sensation of being at your limit, a.k.a pain, is your loyal and lifelong training partner. I see it this way because in order to complete this event, your body will have to go through that agonizing sense of being at your limit to get to the finish line. So when I feel this sensation I recognize it as an alert from my body that I’m about to reach a new zone of athletic prowess. And if I truly desire to enter a new zone I need to accept that challenge right then and there. Therefore, I’ve had to teach my body how to react to that sensation of being at your limit so I can stand a chance to be triumphant. When you feel that limit coming, your body naturally wants to go into “fight-or-flight mode”. So, I tell my body ‘It’s not time to brace yourself to fight through, it’s time to relax yourself to fight through.’ This requires me to redirect my energy from being stifled inside me to being that strength and resilience that is used to push through to that new zone. I find A moment to take a deep breath from my belly and breathe out through my nostrils in order to release that energy into the extremities of my body to energize them in their accomplish the task of getting to that new zone. 

V: What are you looking forward to most in 2022?

KB: I’ve moved to Los Angeles after finishing up my undergraduate degree in Austin, Texas. So I’m looking forward to forming roots in this city and building toward realizing my childhood dreams in sports and modeling. However, I’m mainly looking forward to starting to pay forward what was given to me because I believe it’s so invaluable to start uplifting the next generation while you are still present and active in your sport.

Purchase your copy of the V Magazine & VMAN + EA7 2022 Calendar here!