Garston athlete Kyle Langford wants to become a great on the track and an inspiration off it.
Having recently picked up a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in the 800m, Kyle has his sights set on a bright future.
However, Kyle hopes for more from his career than just fast track times. He wants to bring running to the masses and increase its popularity.
He said: “I just want to be the best, really.
Athletics is really stuck back in its old ways and that’s really affecting the sport. It’s crying out for change and I hope I can do that for the sport.”
Picking up silver at the Commonwealth Games may seem impressive to observers, but Kyle admits he had his heart set on achieving more at the competition.
He said: “Once the race was finished and I was so close to getting the gold, I was really angry and disappointed at the time.
“I went into the race really narrow minded, I didn’t see myself not winning, I only thought I was going to get gold and I think the coach was the same.
“I think after five minutes, I did my lap of honour and I could see the British people who have travelled out and did embrace it and a couple of days after you realise it’s not too bad and it’s certainly a step in the right direction.”
Kyle grew up across the road from boxing champion Anthony Joshua and knows his family well. He now looks at Joshua’s meteoric rise to the top admiringly and wants to have a similar impact on his own sport.
He said: “Out of everyone I would say he’s my main inspiration because he grew up in the same area and you see what he’s achieved and he’s such a nice guy, for me he’s who I aspire to be like, now more than ever.
“He’s good with his head and knows what he’s doing. He’s proving himself to be the best in all departments and he’s just someone who I take a huge amount of inspiration from.”
Also providing inspiration and support are the rest of Kyle’s family, in particular his mum and dad Karen and Don, who own the Meriden Fish Bar in Watford.
Kyle added: “I definitely wouldn’t be in the position I’m in without my parents. The same with my sisters, they’re such big supporters of mine.
“Still now, I think my main motivation is my parents. They are the reason I got started and they kept pushing me and telling me I was good enough and at times when I was young and I was struggling, they kept me going.
“It got to the point where I was either going to go to work, or do running and I decided to take the risk and try and do running. That year I got a Nike contract and without my parents that wouldn’t have happened so I’m really grateful for that.”
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