You've already won in our hearts: UNC hurdler's parents provide support from afar
Posted August 5, 2021 9:43 a.m. EDT
Updated August 27, 2021 10:26 a.m. EDT
As they prepared to watch their son race in Tokyo, Angela and Bill Selmon spoke to WRAL News with hearts full of pride.
Kenny Selmon competed in the 400m hurdles, coming in second in his first heat with a time of 48.61 and improving to 48.58 in the event semifinal.
Because they can't be in the stands in Japan, Angela and Bill Selmon watched their son perform on a big screen at a local restaurant surrounded by their family and friends. “The child listens for their parents’ sounds in the stands, and we don’t get to do that this time,” Bill said. “And we’re going to miss that.”
The two have been with their son every step of his career. From his high school days at Pace Academy, to his collegiate career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, helping him stay focused through injury in 2019 and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Kenny’s parents are more than proud to finally see their son’s dreams finally come true.
What advice would they offer their son as he steps to the starting block?
“Trust your training,” Bill said. “You put the hard work in. You know what the outcome should look like. Trust your race strategy.”
“Run through the tape as fast as you can,” Angela said. “No matter the outcome of the race, you’ve already won in our hearts.”
Even making the Olympic team was a good enough accomplishment for Kenny Selmon. Mom Angela said she promised he could get Olympic rings tattoo if he went to the games.
“[The tattoo] was something that we talked about many years ago,” she said. “And here it is coming to fruition.”
Kaitlyn Schmidt is a rising junior in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
