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Finishing the race: UMES runner gets final shot at national championship

The Daily Times

With a year under his belt and a more talented overall group of distance athletes on the team, Khalil Rmidi Kinini dominated the cross-country season, winning the individual conference championship and leading the team to an overall title. He continued to shine during the indoor track season and, after breaking two school records in outdoor competition last weekend, he already holds six UMES marks as just a sophomore.

Khalil Rmidi Kinini has many accolades to go along with his time at UMES. Male Athlete of the Year in 2015-16, school record breaker, the MEAC’s Most Outstanding Runner and countless other achievements have highlighted the star runner's career.

But the one thing Rmidi Kinini has not been able to call himself is a national champion, having fallen just short of the honor throughout his four years with the Hawks.

But June 7, the Malaga, Spain, native will have one more chance to be named one of the top college runners in the nation when he travels to Oregon to compete in the 2017 NCAA National Outdoor Track Meet.

Rmidi Kinini qualified for the meet with a time of 8:46.62 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA East Preliminaries. His performance earned him the ninth spot of the 12 needed to advance to the finals.

“I couldn’t believe it. It was so much hard work to get there, and then for me to advance — it was just an amazing feeling,” Rmidi Kinini said. “The cake is baked, now I need to get ready to compete.”

Knowing he must compete with the best in the nation is no unfamiliar feeling for the UMES senior. Throughout his life, Rmidi Kinini has been doing everything he can to prove he is one of fastest runners on the track.

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He was first introduced to running by his brother, who invited him to compete in a road race when they were children. Wearing soccer cleats, Rmidi Kinini finished second and made running a permanent part of his life.

Through high school, Rmidi Kinini earned multiple medals while placing third at the World Junior Championship and the European Club Championship.

When he isn’t trying to prove he’s the best in competition, he is training.

“Every minute, I stand and think what I can do to get better,” Rmidi Kinini said. “I want to compete every chance I get, and making it to nationals, that’s the level I expect to be competing at every year.”

His coach, Ernest Barrett, who has now coached 11 national qualifiers, admitted it took some time to turn Rmidi Kinini into a national contender.

Coming to UMES in 2013, the future track star was talented but raw, requiring Barrett to teach Rmidi Kinini to improve his style of running.

And with Rmidi Kinini’s willingness to learn, paired with Barrett’s coaching style, the two became a formidable pair.

Khalil Rmidi Kinini stands with Coach Ernest Barrett and Antoinette Barrett following a meet.

“He’s one of the most coachable kids I’ve had,” Barrett said. “It took time to get him where he got. He had to adapt and mature, and he did that, and he’s always trying to get better. He has a plan, and he sticks to his plan. He’s always ready to go and he’s so committed to everything.”

Since joining the team, Rmidi Kinini has broken several school records, been named the Most Outstanding Runner three years in a row and tallied three MEAC championships. But he admits he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish half that had it not been for the guidance of his coaches.

“With coach … I don’t even need to say anything about him. Our relationship is great, and the work we’ve done speaks for itself,” Rmidi Kinini said. “We spend hours and hours training, and it’s just great having him and so many others support me.”

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Though it will be his first trip to the national stage, Rmidi Kinini is confident nerves and inexperience won’t affect his performance. Quite the opposite –— he believes the success of winning and coming close to qualifying for nationals during his sophomore year will give him the tools he needs to go to Oregon and compete with the best.

“Almost getting there, it gave me confidence and motivation. I seized the opportunity and it has really helped my confidence this year,” Rmidi Kinini said.

If he’s being honest, Rmidi Kinini said he would be happy with finishing in the Top 8 in the national championship, but as for Barrett, he’s always known his star runner has had the potential to be one of the best in the country.

“We knew he had the ability to compete for a national championship,” Barrett said. “Division I track is not easy, and Khalil is kicking down doors as he goes and tries to be the best. He’s extremely dedicated, he’s committed and I know he can do it when the time comes.”