Hawk set for Olympics
Jeff Pawola - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 5/8/08 Section: Sports
Hailing from a country that has never seen one of its athlete advance beyond the semifinals of the Olympics in track and field, Hawkeye standout senior Kineke Alexander will attempt to be the first in the 400 meters this year.
A native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, she will represent both the University of Iowa and her country when she travels to Beijing to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Unlike the United States, which hosts Olympic qualifying trials, her country, which sits in the Caribbean around 400 miles north of Caracas, Venezuela, asked her to compete. Her past track accomplishments include a 400-meter U.S. championship in 2006.
"I'm pretty much the only girl out there - they really didn't have a choice," she joked.
It's true. With a population of roughly 118,000 people, there really weren't many alternatives; Alexander will be the only female from her country to compete in track and field. However, she won't be completely alone - her cousin and training partner Gerard Lewis will also represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the men's side in the 100 meters.
"I trained with him over winter break in December," she said. "Having another person is obviously going to be nice, so I won't be completely by myself."
After the Olympics, however, she might stand alone as the greatest female athlete from her nation to ever touch the track. Her goal this year is to become the first ever to qualify for the Olympic finals, but her coaches believe that more is in store for Alexander in Olympic Games to come.
"Her limits are endless," said Hawkeye assistant coach Victor Houston. "Kineke doesn't know how good she can be. She has an idea, but no idea how good."
"I think she has the ability to be one of the top long sprinters in the world," said Iowa head coach Layne Anderson. "And if she's open-minded, she can do the 800 [meters], as well."
However, as a self-described "400 girl," Alexander is content with staying put and says she actually dislikes running the 800.
A native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, she will represent both the University of Iowa and her country when she travels to Beijing to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Unlike the United States, which hosts Olympic qualifying trials, her country, which sits in the Caribbean around 400 miles north of Caracas, Venezuela, asked her to compete. Her past track accomplishments include a 400-meter U.S. championship in 2006.
"I'm pretty much the only girl out there - they really didn't have a choice," she joked.
It's true. With a population of roughly 118,000 people, there really weren't many alternatives; Alexander will be the only female from her country to compete in track and field. However, she won't be completely alone - her cousin and training partner Gerard Lewis will also represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the men's side in the 100 meters.
"I trained with him over winter break in December," she said. "Having another person is obviously going to be nice, so I won't be completely by myself."
After the Olympics, however, she might stand alone as the greatest female athlete from her nation to ever touch the track. Her goal this year is to become the first ever to qualify for the Olympic finals, but her coaches believe that more is in store for Alexander in Olympic Games to come.
"Her limits are endless," said Hawkeye assistant coach Victor Houston. "Kineke doesn't know how good she can be. She has an idea, but no idea how good."
"I think she has the ability to be one of the top long sprinters in the world," said Iowa head coach Layne Anderson. "And if she's open-minded, she can do the 800 [meters], as well."
However, as a self-described "400 girl," Alexander is content with staying put and says she actually dislikes running the 800.
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