3rd March 2016
Young British hurdler Khai Riley-La Borde, 20, from Purfleet, Essex, is closer to his goal of reaching the European Championships this summer after coming 5th in the World Indoor Trials last week.
Khai, who is studying to become a motor mechanic at Barking & Dagenham College, has been involved in athletics since he was 11 years old. Last September, the College presented Khai with a cheque for £1,000 to help step-up his training regime and it seems to be paying off
Khai was the youngest finalist at the World Indoor Trials and British Indoor Championships held in Sheffield last week.
He started the year strongly, kicking off the indoor season at the London Metaswitch Games in January, where he won his first race of the season, destroying his personal best for the 60m Hurdles from 8.00 to 7.74. Then, early last month, Khai secured another convincing win in the Senior Men's 60m Hurdles at the Eastern & Essex Indoor Championships and later in February, Khai won the London Indoor Games.
It’s Khai’s dream to compete in the Men’s Senior 110m Hurdles at the European Championships and from there the Tokyo Olympics. If he’s secures a place at the European Championships, this will be his debut representing Great Britain as a senior rather than an under 23.
Khai commented:
“I won’t know if I’ve secured my place at the European Championships until the British Olympic and European Senior Trials in July, but it is looking really achievable; I have to run just over a tenth of a second faster than my PB, which I’m hoping, due to the training I’ve been doing, I’ll manage do this season.
“As for my ultimate goal, well, that is to get to the Tokyo Olympics; I’m still young and need to build up my experience – and of course my speed! But, I’m hopeful that my dream will come true.”
